The power room of Paris Fashion Week wasn’t a fashion show at all.
On Thursday evening, as Rick Owens was showing his fall collection, President Emmanuel Macron of France and his wife, Brigitte Macron, were huddled, deep in conversation, with Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King and Paul McCartney under the grand red, white and blue stained-glass ceiling of the Élysée Palace’s reception halls. Maybe they were talking about the escalating war in the Middle East. Maybe they were talking about the return of stirrup pants. Maybe they were talking about how proud they were of Stella McCartney, who had just been named a chevalier of the French Legion of Honor.
“I think I kept a straight face,” Ms. McCartney said after the private ceremony, the red ribbon and five-armed Maltese cross of her newly awarded medal of honor popping against her navy, faux-fur-trimmed skirt suit from her fall 2026 collection. An audience of a few dozen friends and family members, including Ms. McCartney’s husband, Alasdhair Willis; two of her four children; her father; and her siblings, as well as Naomi Watts, Amy Griffin, Hannah Waddingham and Sharleen Spiteri, the singer from the rock band Texas, had come to see the president of France bestow her with one of his country’s top honors.
Anna Wintour, Delphine Arnault, Antoine Arnault, Natalia Vodianova, Bianca Jagger and Charlotte Casiraghi also attended.
Mr. Macron didn’t skimp on the accolades. In a 15-minute speech, he hit almost every point on Ms. McCartney’s Wikipedia page: being inspired by her parents’ style; attending Central Saint Martins, London’s top-tier school for fashion and design; an internship at Christian Lacroix; succeeding Karl Lagerfeld at Chloé; telling the leather giant Gucci “I don’t do leather”; committing to sustainable and ethical fashion long before it was fashionable; showing her collection in Paris and making France a home to her brand, now celebrating its 25th anniversary.
“For all this, you love France, and our country loves you back,” Mr. Macron said.
Ms. Winfrey had flown in from Maui — a 16-hour flight — specifically for Ms. McCartney’s ceremony, picking up Ms. King in New York along the way.
“I’m re-impressed,” Ms. Winfrey said. “I’ve always been impressed with what she’s done. This just reminded me what an extraordinary accomplishment it is to be a warrior for ecology.” Ms. King didn’t know what to expect. “I didn’t know what it was, to be honest with you,” she said. “But it was really touching.”
The Legion of Honor was founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. Considered France’s highest decoration, it’s awarded to French citizens and noncitizens who have demonstrated at least 20 years of extraordinary service to the country.
It was Ms. Jagger’s second night in a row at the palace. She had gotten the date wrong and showed up a day early, watching several people waiting for their honors before realizing she was in the wrong place.
“I asked the guards, ‘Why did you let me in?’” she said.
It’s rare that the president himself presides over a Legion of Honor ceremony, or that it’s held in a private room in the palace. “I found out that the only two people in fashion that have had a private reception are Mr. Arnault and Karl Lagerfeld,” Ms. McCartney said. Typically, the new chevaliers are inducted in groups, similar to the ceremony in England, where Ms. McCartney received an Officer of the Order of the British Empire medal from Queen Elizabeth II in 2013, and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire medal from King Charles III in 2023.
There are other differences between the British and French ceremonies. “The queen didn’t talk,” Ms. McCartney said. “She just goes, ‘Thank you. Nice to meet you.’ Then you kind of back off, and you fall over.” When Mr. Macron was delivering his speech, she looked over at her dad and realized it was the first time he had seen her receive such an honor.
He has had his share. Mr. McCartney was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth in 1965 and was knighted by her in 1997. In 2012, President François Hollande of France named him a chevalier of the Legion of Honor.
In the few minutes between the time the guests were asked to take their seats and the moment that Mr. Macron took the stage, Mr. McCartney filled the space with light banter and a group singalong to the French national anthem and “All You Need Is Love.”
As one attendee said, “This crowd isn’t used to waiting for anyone.”
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