Stella McCartney puts provocative twist on the 'open office' at Paris Fashion Week

PARIS (AP) — Stella McCartney ’s star-studded fall show was a bold statement on power, sensuality, and self-possession. Set inside the ‘Stella Corp’ offices in northern Paris, the runway blurred the lines between boardroom and nightlife, business and pleasure.

The Paris collection, provocatively titled “Laptop to Lapdance,” explored the modern working woman’s ability to shift seamlessly between roles, embracing both structure and seduction. It was a natural evolution of 1980s power dressing, when broad-shouldered tailoring became the armor of ambition.

Cameron Diaz, Jeff Koons, Olivia Colman, Kate Moss, Richard E. Grant, and French First Lady Brigitte Macron gathered around desks and buzzing PCs, sipping from water fountains. Possibly the starriest front row of the season, the guest list embodied the high-wattage allure of Paris Fashion Week.

“I’m so bowled over to be here to support Stella. I’ve been coming to Paris since I was 19,” Diaz told The Associated Press.

McCartney staged her show inside a fully realized corporate office space, complete with whirring PCs, water coolers, and notepads placed on every seat—a detail that made the setting feel lived-in rather than just conceptual. The show’s workplace theme was taken to the extreme with actual pole dancers performing inside the space, sending fashion insiders reaching for their cameras, and even had Moss turning snapping her head to the side to get a better look.

McCartney’s take on power dressing blended structure with sensuality. Double-breasted gray jackets, oversized and slightly slouched, were worn against bare skin, reworking suiting into something more subversive. Strong 1980s shoulders projected authority, while low-slung trousers introduced a relaxed, almost undone contrast. The interplay between sharp tailoring and fluid movement defined the collection, with sculptural draping and cinched waists disrupting the rigidity of oversized coats and menswear-inspired pieces.

McCartney leaned into the fantasy of the office as a space for transformation and play, where power is redefined and reclaimed. Glossy, PVC-like vegan stripper boots injected overt sex appeal, while accessories heightened the contrasts—studious glasses with exaggerated faux fur coats, chaps dripping with chains nodding to equestrian heritage and McCartney’s signature Falabella bag.

The collection was a study in contrasts—masculine and feminine, professional and personal, control and abandon. Models wove between desks, reinforcing McCartney’s belief that a woman shouldn’t have to choose between power and pleasure. The setting emphasized fluidity, how a wardrobe must shift throughout the day, adapting to different versions of the same woman.

McCartney’s commitment to sustainability remained central, with 96% of the collection crafted from conscious materials. Innovations like recycled silk, organic cotton, and forest-friendly viscose underscored her mission to prove that desirability and ethics are not mutually exclusive.

McCartney, who recently bought back the share LVMH held in her company, called this collection her first truly independent vision since college. “I was looking at what I do, knowing this is my first show ever alone, other than when I left college,” she said.

She highlighted the house’s emphasis on dressing for day-to-night. “The date-night thing is really important for my brand because, I think, I want to be women’s friends and I want them to rely on me,” she said. “I want them to wear that suit out to a club.”

The boots embodied the collection’s blend of confidence and playfulness. “Those boots - they grip onto a pole. I think they just do the work for you,” McCartney said, laughing. Asked about the fetishistic undertones, she shrugged. “You said it, not me! I mean, Jesus, it’s all legal as far as I last checked.”

Amid the playful energy, she acknowledged the industry’s demands. “We all work really, really, really, really hard,” she said. “Like, from when I started to now, it’s like, wow, this is a very different industry. And I wanted to kind of celebrate how hard everyone works too.”

Before the night was over, she encouraged guests to take a piece of the office set home. “I hope you all took the staplers and the mugs,” she joked. “We need those pens.”

Models wear creations as part of the Stella Mccartney Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Womenswear collection presented in Paris, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

A model wears a creation as part of the Stella Mccartney Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Womenswear collection presented in Paris, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Designer Stella McCartney, left, and Kate Moss backstage after the Stella McCartney Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Womenswear collection presented in Paris, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

A model wears a creation as part of the Stella Mccartney Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Womenswear collection presented in Paris, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Models wear creations as part of the Stella Mccartney Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Womenswear collection presented in Paris, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

A model wears a creation as part of the Stella Mccartney Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Womenswear collection presented in Paris, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

A model wears a creation as part of the Stella McCartney Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Womenswear collection presented in Paris, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

A model wears a creation as part of the Stella McCartney Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Womenswear collection presented in Paris, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Cameron Diaz attends the Stella McCartney Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Womenswear collection presented in Paris, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Kate Moss, left, and Cameron Diaz attend the Stella McCartney Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Womenswear collection presented in Paris, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

A model wears a creation as part of the Stella Mccartney Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Womenswear collection presented in Paris, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez used her first state of the union message Thursday to advocate for opening the crucial state-run oil industry to more foreign investment following the Trump administration's pledge to seize control of Venezuelan crude sales.

For the first time, Rodríguez laid out a vision for Venezuela’s new political reality — one that challenges her government’s most deeply rooted beliefs less than two weeks after the United States captured and toppled former President Nicolás Maduro.

Under pressure from the U.S. to cooperate with its plans for reshaping Venezuela’s sanctioned oil industry, Maduro's former vice president declared that a “new policy is being formed in Venezuela."

She urged the foreign diplomats in attendance to tell investors abroad about the changes and called on lawmakers to approve oil sector reforms that would secure foreign firms' access to Venezuela’s vast reserves.

“Venezuela, in free trade relations with the world, can sell the products of its energy industry,” she said.

The Trump administration has said it plans to control future oil export revenues to ensure it benefits the Venezuelan people.

In that vein, Rodríguez described cash from the oil sales flowing into two sovereign wealth funds, one to support crisis-stricken health services and another to bolster public infrastructure, much of which was built under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, and has since deteriorated.

These days the country's hospitals are so poorly equipped that patients are asked to provide supplies needed for their care, from syringes to surgical screws.

While Rodríguez criticized the U.S. capture of Maduro and referred to a “stain on our relations," she also promoted the resumption of diplomacy between the historic adversaries. Her succinct, 44-minute speech and mollifying tone marked a dramatic contrast to her predecessors' fiery rants against U.S. imperialism that often went on for hours.

“Let us not be afraid of diplomacy,” Rodriguez. “I ask that politics not be transformed, that it not begin with hatred and intolerance.”

The day before, she gave a 4-minute briefing to the media to say her government would continue releasing prisoners detained under Maduro's harsh rule. But human rights groups have verified just a fraction of the releases that she claimed took place.

Rodríguez appears to be threading a needle.

A portrait of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, was displayed next to her as she spoke. She called for the U.S. government to "respect the dignity" of Maduro, who is being held in a Brooklyn jail after pleading not guilty to drug-trafficking charges. She portrayed herself as defending Venezuela's sovereignty even as the country warmed up to the U.S. with dizzying speed.

“If one day, as acting president, I have to go to Washington, I will do so standing up, walking, not being dragged," she said. "I'll go standing tall ... never crawling.”

Rodríguez delivered her speech as Venezuela's Nobel Prize-winning opposition leader María Corina Machado was the one in Washington to meet President Donald Trump.

Since Maduro's ouster, Trump has frozen Machado out of discussions about the nation's political fate while embracing Rodríguez, praising Maduro’s long-time loyalist as a “terrific person” after holding his first known phone call with her on Wednesday.

Machado, whose party is considered to have won the tumultuous 2024 presidential elections despite Maduro's claims of victory, said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump during their closed-door conversation.

Emerging from the White House afterward, she greeted dozens of cheering supporters. "We can count on President Trump,” she told them, without elaborating.

Her role in Venezuelan politics remains uncertain as Rodríguez’s government has been effectively relieved of having to hold elections for the foreseeable future.

Machado’s meeting with Trump received no coverage in Venezuela.

The country's state-run TV still pumps out a steady stream of pro-government images, including various statements from Iranian and Russian officials decrying “U.S. aggression" and wall-to-wall coverage of state-orchestrated rallies demanding Maduro's return.

Crowds of teachers on Thursday marched through the streets of Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, carrying posters condemning the U.S. for “kidnapping” Maduro and chanting slogans in support of the government. National police wearing riot gear were everywhere. Pro-government graffiti scrawled across city walls read: “To doubt is to betray."

“They've kept the same anti-imperialist rhetoric going, but more moderated," said David Smilde, a Venezuela expert at Tulane University who has studied Venezuela for 30 years. “Their idea is to give Trump everything he wants economically, but stay the course politically."

On the streets of central Caracas, most Venezuelans going about their days declined to be interviewed about their opinions, fearful of government reprisals as Maduro's security apparatus remains intact. Others were simply at a loss of what to say about their country's strange new reality in which the U.S. claims to call the shots.

“It’s a complete sea of ​​uncertainty, and the only one who now has the power to make decisions is the United States government,” said Pablo Rojas, 28, a music producer.

He said he was following Trump's meeting with Machado closely "to see if she takes a leadership position, if they consider her ready to lead the country or be a candidate." He shook his head in puzzlement. “It’s impossible to know what will happen.”

Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Megan Janetsky in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez arrives at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez delivers her first state of the union address at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Ceylis Mendez and her daughter Zoe cool off in the Gulf of Venezuela in front of the Cardon oil refinery off the shore of Punta Cardon, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Flames rise from flare stacks at the Amuay refinery in Los Taques, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, left, and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello arrive at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez addresses lawmakers next to a picture of former President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, center, her brother National Assembly President, Jorge Rodriguez, left, and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello arrive at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez addresses the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez addresses the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez makes a statement to the press at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, center, smiles flanked by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, right, and National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez after making a statement to the press at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)