The British designer plied his knack for soft tailoring into workwear-nodding garb.
Paul Smith didn’t return to Florence with a collection presentation after 31 years for no reason. Not only did his spring men’s collection reference the ‘60s Italian cafés in London’s Soho where he spent more than one “naughty” night in the wee hours, but Italian craft was also in full display in the use of locally sourced precious fabrics and the ease of the deconstructed tailoring-inspired silhouettes.
He combined his knack for soft formal dressing with the workwear inflections that continue to dominate menswear at Pitti Uomo, where he hosted his presentation — the Paul Cafè mounted inside the gilded rooms and lush garden of Villa Favard. As the summer trade show’s guest, Smith had arty types in mind, commuting to school in their loosely knotted ties with souvenir motifs under chore jackets, carrot denim pants with tone-on-tone floral motifs, silky pajama shirts and pleated and oversize tailored bottoms in houndstooth and Prince of Wales fabrics.
Smith also lined up a collaboration with Lee, the storied denim brand.
