Paul Smith’s latest Spring/ Summer 24 collection is all about tailoring. Titled “The Suit (But Different)”, the collection has managed to turn heads at the Paris Fashion Week.
With sartorial tailoring as its protagonist, the line up tells a story of the designer’s storied career in fluid fabrics. Tailoring references drawn from the 1970s up to the present day were exquisitely incorporated and influences from military uniforms were seamlessly merged with workwear and utility-inspired shapes and detailing.
Mr. Smith’s signature sense of playfulness can also be seen as boxer shorts paired with traditional suiting and workwear jackets to form a ‘Breakfast Suit’. Alongside stitched carpenter-style trousers, and six-button double-breasted jackets, waistcoats, and the three-piece suit also feature.
A spectacular spin on the archetypal menswear tropes, ‘Canadian Tuxedo’ of a denim trucker jacket and barrel-fit jeans was introduced, while pyjama-inspired looks styled with quirky ties gave a laid-back vibe.
Prints take on a playful spin with a trompe l’oeil print of archival suiting imposed on silken shirts and the ‘Life Drawing’ print, a combination of archival tailoring, suit patterns and neoclassical references.
As a subtle tribute to Mr. Smith’s lifelong passion of cycling, derby shoes and sneakers are made with holes that resemble those seen on vintage cycling shoes.
As the title suggests, the designer intends to reinterpret the traditional suit with this collection. He says, “Tailoring is so often thought of as such a serious business, but I’ve always been keen to show people how much fun you can have with it – especially now. So, while this show is an homage to suits and tailoring as an art and form of craft – one that requires a huge amount of skill and expertise – it’s also about putting humor and joy back into smart dressing. You see that in the military-inspired uniform looks, as much as you do those that nod to traditional business wear. I’ve always been interested in the question of ‘what exactly is a suit?’, and I hope this show serves as something of an answer.”