Stella McCartney show has family touch

PARIS, Oct 5 (Reuters) Paul McCartney had a front row seat at his daughter Stella's spring-summer ready-to-wear collection today which the heavily pregnant designer dedicated to her family.

McCartney, who has one young son with publisher husband Alasdhair Willis, showed wearable outfits in natural colours combined with a touch of silver lame glamour and splashes of electric blue and green.

''It was the best -- not that I'm biased,'' her ex-Beatle Dad joked after he had filmed the enthusiastic applause at the end on his mobile phone.

The invitations continued the family theme with an illustrated Roger Hargreaves Mr Men children's book, called Little Miss Stella. It tells the story of how Little Miss Nobody is transformed into a Little Miss Somebody when Little Miss Stella makes her a smart new outfit.

''I always like the idea of the invitation that you can keep.

I've always liked the idea of you giving them to your kids or to your grandkids,'' she said after the show.

The models started in comfortable all-in-one shirt and shorts combinations in white and beige. Backless dresses had fine straps and ruched sleeves.

One was electric green held up with thick black elastic straps. Another was made out of pink discs.

Black trousers were teamed with a silver shirt and models paraded short lame dresses with puffed sleeves.

Jewellery was made of large silver balls and shoes were broken wedge heels, or raffia sandals with covered stiletto heels.

''She's a mother expecting another child so she has silhouettes that are wonderful to go from having a child to not having a child, from gestation to non-gestation after the birth, and I thought her sense of lames were beautiful,'' said American Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley.

''I thought it was her best collection in her entire career.'' The 35-year-old McCartney was appointed designer to French couture house Chloe in 1997 when she succeeded Karl Lagerfeld.

In 2000, she renewed her contract with Chloe amid reports that she had turned down an offer to work with Gucci because it would require working with leather.

The strict vegetarian was signed with Gucci to develop her own brand in 2001.

''Stella McCartney is a fantastic brand with a great future and with an even greater designer and we are totally in love with her,'' Robert Pollet, chief executive of the Gucci Group, told Reuters.

''It is a very important part of our portfolio.'' REUTERS1741