Comfortable flamboyance is the key to the fashion designs of Paul Smith. In his hands, bright colors and floral prints seem natural and even inviting. He embraces embellishment and extravagance while still paying heed to utilitarian goals, designing loose-fitting, ephemeral, yet...
[more]Comfortable flamboyance is the key to the fashion designs of Paul Smith. In his hands, bright colors and floral prints seem natural and even inviting. He embraces embellishment and extravagance while still paying heed to utilitarian goals, designing loose-fitting, ephemeral, yet sharp clothes that highlight the individuality of each wearer. Neither pretentious nor conservative, his fashions stand out in today's often self-indulgent world of fashion; they express novelty and innovation without sacrificing function.
Recently, his work has begun to express the multiculturalism of modern London by embracing a global village aesthetic. Sarongs, African print trousers, and floral print shirts characterize his Spring 2000 men's collection, while velvet caftans, taffeta print skirts, and chiffon floral-embroidered pajamas round out the women's line. As cultures from all over the world converge on London, Smith has developed an increasingly eclectic sensibility, seeking to integrate ethnic elements into the fast-paced, urban environment of the modern city.
He has also created a futuristic line of clothing designed for life in a hectic and even dangerous metropolis. A hooded white jacket, sewn from surgical fabric and coated with an antibacterial surface, offers hidden pockets and knuckle protection flaps. These are duds for the paranoia-prone and fight-fisted. Other protective gear from this line includes lightweight nylon judo pants and a series of suits with sewn-in shoulder and kneepads: clothing for the future, for William Gibson's necromancer. It departs from Paul Smith's characteristic aesthetic.
More typical of his work is his 1999 Autumn/Winter collection, in which decadence meets tradition as argyle V-neck sweaters are set next to map print shirts. Or his 1997 collection, which betrays a predilection for the fashions of the 1940s, as pastel, frilled petticoats are stuffed beneath relatively conservative skirts. This combination of subtlety and audacity is Smith's trademark. Humor and wit meet with a delicate, precise idiosyncrasy, giving rise to clothes that are at once bold, ebullient, casual, and comfortable.
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