Crop Tops, Hip-Huggers, and Slogan Tees: A Throwback To Stella McCartney’s Singularly Cool Style

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Throughout her 25-year career, Stella McCartney has changed the way we see fashion, championing sustainability more than any other designer at the high end of the market. The Vogue cover star is a true pioneer in this regard; the luxury sector has otherwise only recently turned its attention to the industry’s part in global warming. Moreover, McCartney has always stayed true to her signature style, never compromising her point-of-view or sharp taste for anything or anyone.

Today, however, McCartney’s personal style is a whole lot more pared back than what it used to be. She wore an “About Fucking Time” t-shirt to her father Paul McCartney’s induction into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, and coordinated with her good friend Liv Tyler in DIY “Rock Royalty” tanks and ultra-low-slung trousers at the Met gala that same year. To look back to the early ’00s when McCartney was working as creative director of Chloé and launching her own label is to see the birth of a style icon. For her, the red carpet was an open playing field.

In between the high-low looks, McCartney hit the party circuit in corsets and 1950s-style evening coats. Or it could be a delicate floral dress, or clean, form-fitting suits and blazers over sheer tops. McCartney has always been a risk-taker when it comes to clothes, whether designing them or wearing them herself.

Here’s a look back at McCartney’s coolest style moments.