Mood board: Paul Smith is not a man to rest on his laurels and just as he has recently cut back some of his key menswear cash cows, the designer businessman seems to have taken a similarly punchy approach to womenswear for S/S 2016, opening with an array of fluid dresses interspersed with the odd example of his signature tailoring. In a burnt, Seventies colour palette of teal, amber, brick brown and crimson these sundresses were drawn long to the mid calf and spliced with organic colour blocked panels, creating uneven hems while allowing for movement without fullness. Voluminous culottes walked in a similar direction, while pencil skirts were straight until below the hip and then flared with flair as though Smith’s design team had been given the directive to experiment with shape above all.
Finishing touches: Platform beachcomber sandals offered a soft landing for each artsy look, while concertina clutches, just like old school filing systems, provided plenty of room to file away life's modern conveniences.
Best in show: Sir Smith may have notably cut back on suiting for this spring excursion, but his double-breasted blazers, drawn in at the waist with a leather rope belt, felt as fresh as ever in the season’s coastal colour palette. Ditto for his nectarine satin trench. Smith may not have wanted to push his tailoring might here, but there’s no escaping the formidable skill set.
INFORMATION
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
-
EV maker Rivian creates its first Concept Experience in New York’s Meatpacking DistrictUnder the High Line, in the heart of one of New York’s most famous neighbourhoods is the Rivian Concept Experience, a showroom designed to surprise and delight both long-term aficionados and total newcomers to the brand
-
How to use AI in architecture? A practical guide with Tim FuArchitect Tim Fu, an early AI adopter who regularly uses these new technologies in his practice, offers his advice
-
The largest posthumous survey of Helen Frankenthaler puts her in the frame with Pollock and RothkoGuggenheim Bilbao hosts 'Painting Without Rules', a major exhibition of soak-stain innovator Helen Frankenthaler’s paintings that also includes Pollock and Rothko
-
Inside Louis Vuitton’s Murakami London pop-up, a colourful cartoon wonderland with one-of-a-kind caféWallpaper* takes a tour of the Louis Vuitton x Murakami pop-up in London’s Soho, which celebrates the launch of a new ‘re-edition’ accessories collection spanning the greatest hits from the Japanese artist’s long-running collaboration with the house
-
Get to know Issey Miyake’s innovative A-POC ABLE line as it arrives in the UKAs A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake launches in London this week, designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae gives Wallpaper* the lowdown on the experimental Issey Miyake offshoot
-
Margaret Howell London Fashion Week Women's S/S 2019 -
London Fashion Week S/S 2023: Ahluwalia to Martine RoseThough slimmed-down, London Fashion Week nonetheless provided the moments of creative expression the city is known for – from Ahluwalia’s ode to Africa to Martine Rose’s much-anticipated runway return
-
Paris Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2022: Louis Vuitton to Loewe, Dior to HermèsIn this extended report, Laura Hawkins reveals 9 highlights from Paris Fashion Week Men's A/W 2022. Including: Virgil Abloh's final collection for Louis Vuitton; Rick Owen's riff on sleaze; elfin-inspired accessories; and a celebration of slouch and surrealism
-
Discover these fashion brands at London Craft WeekDuring London Craft Week, fashion brands including Smythson, Bally and Serapian are hosting events across the capital
-
Nicholas Daley's multicultural roots celebrated in London -
Paris Fashion Week A/W 2021: discotheque chic to apres-ski sleek
