Paul Smith

“Optimism” was Paul Smith‘s word for Spring. “Tough world, so optimism shows through,” he said after the presentation. He was in jolly spirits for a man who’d scored his entire show, front to back, to the sounds of New Order.

But for Sir Paul, good business is good humor, and he reports that his suits are going gangbusters. That may be part of the reason he focused so strongly on them in this vivid, colorful show. This season, the suits come sharper and more tailored, with more defined shoulders and more cinched-in waists in the jackets, and cuffed cigarette trousers below.

Two prints—a sliced-and-diced rose, and a graphic print formed of the scissors that did the slicing—looked fine but a bit beside the point. They paled, very literally, before the barrage of dusty-colored suits that closed the show. With their slight sixties swing, they gave the models the look of a rainbow-as-rock-band. Crank it up. Season after season, Smith reminds us that he still does. This time around, he seemed readier than usual to be writ large—that is to say, played loud.
—Matthew Schneier