Knitwear designer: Stella McCartney, Resort '12

For class, I am supposed to pick a designer known for knitwear and write a little ditty about them. My fail safe is always dear ol' Betsey, but I thought I would switch it up. After reading an article about her family in April's issue of Harper's (old, I know), I thought I would delve into the queen of chic athletic wear. Here is a biography I pulled from her page, http://www.stellamccartney.com/:

"Born and raised in London and the English countryside, Stella McCartney graduated from Central St Martins in 1995. A signature style of sharp tailoring, natural confidence and sexy femininity was immediately apparent in her first collection and after only two collections, in 1997, she was appointed the Creative Director of Chloe in Paris and enjoyed great success during her tenure.
In 2001, Stella McCartney launched her own fashion house under her name in a joint venture with Gucci Group (now the PPR Luxury Group) and showed her first collection in Paris in October 2001. A lifelong vegetarian, Stella McCartney does not use any leather or fur in her designs. Her collections include women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, lingerie, eyewear, fragrance and organic skincare. Her first perfume, “Stella”, launched successfully in September 2003.
Stella McCartney now operates 15 freestanding stores in locations including Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, London’s Mayfair, LA’s West Hollywood, Paris’ Palais Royal and Milan, and recently opened doors in Beirut, Las Vegas and Rome. Her collections are now distributed in over 50 countries through 600 wholesale accounts including specialty shops and department stores.
In addition to the main line collection, a long-term partnership with adidas was introduced in September 2004. The critically acclaimed sports performance collection “adidas by Stella McCartney,” has since successfully grown to include several athletic disciplines including running, gym, yoga, tennis, swimming, golf, winter sports and triathlon. In September 2010, Stella McCartney was appointed Team GB’s Creative Director for the 2012 Olympics by adidas – the first time in the history of the games that a leading fashion designer has designed the apparel for a country’s team across all competitions for both the Olympic and the Paralympic Games.
In 2003, Stella McCartney launched her first perfume “Stella.” In November 2005, the hugely successful one-off collection “Stella McCartney for H&M” sold out worldwide in record time. In 2008, a new lingerie line was launched. In November 2010 Stella McCartney Kids was launched, a collection catering for newborns and children up to the age of 12. In September 2011 Stella McCartney’s costume designs for the New York City Ballet’s Ocean’s Kingdom will premier in New York.
The following awards have recognized Stella McCartney’s achievement in fashion and social awareness: VH1/Vogue Fashion and Music 2000 Designer of the Year Award (2000, NY), the Woman of Courage Award for work against cancer at the prestigious Unforgettable Evening event (2003, LA), the Glamour Award for Best Designer of the Year (2004, London), the Star Honoree at the Fashion Group International Night of the Stars (2004, NY), the Organic Style Woman of the Year Award (2005, NY), the Elle Style Award for Best Designer of the Year Award (2007, London), Best Designer of The Year at the British Style Awards (2007, London), Best Designer of The Year at the Spanish Elle Awards (2008, Barcelona), the Green Designer of the Year at the ACE Awards (2008, NY) and in 2009 she was honoured by the NRDC, featured in the Time 100 and recognized as a Glamour magazine Woman of the Year."

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The latest collection from the daughter of the Beatles frontman is Resort 2012. This is a collection of smart separates, a laundry list of what fashionable women need in their closet: cuffed cigarette pants, tailored menswear suit jackets, and suiting blouses, mixed with tuxedo shift dresses and spots of bright cobalt, keeping the feeling light and youthful, yet pulled together with nonchalance. This is how one transitions from teens to adulthood: keep pops of blue and cheery yellow, but mix in smart contrasting black, white, and camel in adult shapes. For me, this is the perfect collection to pull from as I attempt to "grow-up" my look. I will trade in my band tees for blazers and cut-offs for trousers. There isn't a need to worry about forsaking my love of color in my journey into adulthood: keeping the shapes simple allows the color to read as mature, even when adorned with bows from head to toe.

Stella McCartney definitely designs for the young woman, yet her separates can be worn by women of all ages. Her houndstooth pencil skirts can be dressed up or down, worn with a sophisticated black button-up, or punked up with a drapey tank and ankle booties. Even the color shy can utilize pieces in this collection, from the camel cigarette pants to the black and white sleeveless tops. For someone like me, I would take the sheer blue bow top and wear it with a lime green tank underneath (after all, real world eyes shouldn't be privy to nipplage), trouser shorts and tights. In fact, I can see myself wearing most of this collection... that is, if I won the lottery. Oh how I wish that would happen tomorrow.

Color story: Black, white, cobalt, orange, camel, navy, yellow
Repetitions: stark contrasts of black and white, houndstooth, menswear-inspired, smart separates, clean lines
Trims: satin lapels, silk flower pins.

Give me houndstooth, or give me death.