Rumours centred around an Olympic sportswear collection, was it a show, was it a presentation? We should really know better than to second guess Stella McCartney, the queen of throwing a curveball.
To set the scene: a black tie dinner in the grand surroundings of a former church in Mayfair accompanied by a full orchestra. Stella's mates in residence on a table plan that saw Kate Moss, Rihanna, Jamie Hince and Shalom Harlow swap puddings with Alexa Chung, Yasmin Le Bon and Amber Valetta, each wearing a slinky fluid gown or Jessica Rabbit curve-inducing number all from McCartney's eveningwear collectionthe focus of this "presentation".
That might have been a starry enough return to the London schedule for most, but the action was only just beginning. The band hushed, a chap that looked remarkably similar to one of Siegfried and Roy took to the stage, beckoning Alexa Chung with him. With one click of his fingers Chung went limp, and was positioned flat across three swords before they were removed and she levitated. Yes, levitated.
But there was more of course. Some of the exquisitely dressed gueststhe few we hadn't recognisedjumped up from their seats and burst in to a choreographed dance routine that then included Amber, Shalom and Yasmin. Colourful gowns collided with minimal black sheaths in what was fashion's version of West Side Story.
And then we shuffled off in to the night, quite convinced we'd been dreaming it all...
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Rihanna & Stella McCartney at the designer’s autumn/winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Mario Testino & Kate Moss at Stella McCartney’s autumn/winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Alexa Chung in a Stella McCartney gown at the designer’s autumn/winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Rihanna in Stella McCartney at the designer’s autumn/winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Amber Valletta wearing A Stella McCartney sleeveless tux at the Stella McCartney autumn/Winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Stella McCartney & Alasdhair Willis at the designers autumn/Winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Stella Tennant wearing a Stella McCartney suit at the designers autumn/winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Rihanna & Anna Wintour at Stella McCartney's autumn/winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Shalom Harlow waering Stella McCartney at the designer’s autumn/winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Jamie Hince & wife Kate Moss at the Stella McCartney’s autumn/winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Yasmin Le Bon in a Stella McCartney dress at the Stella McCartney autumn/Winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Alexa Chung & Nick Grimshaw at the Stella McCartney autumn/Winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Laura Bailey in a Stella McCartney gown at the designer’s autumn/winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Jo Whiley attends the Stella McCartney autumn/winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Katy B in a Stella McCarteny a lace all-in-one at the Stella McCartney autumn/Winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Jefferson Hack & Alison Mosshart at the Stella McCartney’s autumn/winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Minnie Driver attends the Stella McCartney autumn/Winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week
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Anouck Lepere & Jamie Hince at Stella McCartney’s autumn/winter 2012 eveningwear presentation during London Fashion Week