Stella McCartney - Fall/Winter 2010-2011

Designer emeritus, fulfilled businesswoman, accomplished mother and daughter of a rock star, Stella McCartney has more than one reason to take herself seriously. And yet, nothing could be further from the truth: her ad campaigns, with their unfailing good mood sprinkled with a candid fantasy, leave fashion snobbism aside in favor of a joie de vivre and a little nod to childhood.

With respect to this season's ad campaigns, several schools have been distinguished. First, there are those who, unconditional fans of the street style wave, incorporate it into their campaigns without understanding why. Then there are those who attempt to push the limits of their collection's concept, risking leaving the majority of the fashionistas behind. Finally, others prefer to minimize their risks by prolonging the ambiance of their show via the talent of a star photographer.

In all of this, there are those rare free electrons who dedicate themselves to developing the image of their label in total independence, without worrying about what others might say. Marc Jacobs and Stella McCartney are two of these free electrons.

Whether it be by placing Kate Moss in the middle of psychedelic watercolor scenery, or by coupling a top model with a Dalmatian, Paul McCartney's daughter leaves no room for the trends holding sway in advertising. McCartney prefers to follow her own imagination, shunning in-your-face glamour in favor of an ultra-personal, poetically funky universe that has become her signature.

And it seems to be working: while we may have been disconcerted to see Bambi in the middle of her fall/winter 2009-2010 campaign, we ended up becoming addicted to McCartney's fresh fantasy style.

Shot by Mert&Marcus, her last campaign was more reassuring. The improbable, yet successful collision between presumably antagonistic elements is present. Between a Natalia Vodianova at the top of her beauty, McCartney's creations - sometimes cozy, sometimes divinely minimal - and a bubblegum typeface, the campaign gives off a new, deliciously attractive harmony.