PARIS, FRANCE- The Paul Smith SS24 Men’s collection takes a deep dive into tailoring the suit.
Unveiled on the official men’s week calendar, from the City of Lights, British designer Paul Smith unveiled his spring-summer 2024 collection, which is all about where tailoring ends and the suit begins. Themed “The Suit (But Different),” the collection is a nod to business dress, with hints of the military uniform.
Matt Smith, Hael Husani, Ismael Cruz Córdova, and other influencers who sat front row at the show.
Attending the show were notable guests from actor Matt Smith, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ben Attal, Hael Husaini, Ryan Prevedel, to Twins Habdan and Milo Manheim.
The Nottingham native is known for his sartorial tailoring skills. Smith is a master of the suit, so it’s fascinating for fashion connoisseurs to see him tackle a part of fashion he’s skilled at. Diving into his own archives, Smith was inspired by the 1970s to the present day.
Strong pops of color in the Lawrence of Arabia color palette.
He isn’t afraid to take on color in his collections, and one single frame from the film Lawrence Of Arabia includes tones of sandy neutrals, black, blue, and cool charcoal ties into this desert film theme. But, red is also used in this collection as a central point in the sartorial storytelling.
It’s a collection that Smith has fun with. As the House details: there are trim cuts in classic suiting fabrics and billowy, exaggerated shapes in lighter weight casual materials. Boxer shorts that are tailored and done in classic stripe play to his playful side. A Breakfast Suit look oozes a workwear jacket vibe. And the pajama look includes matching ties. And a Paul Smith collection, whether that be men’s or women’s wouldn’t be complete without a tuxedo. He tackles the Canadian Tuxedo with a denim trucker jacket and barrel for jeans, which the House says is a “take on archetypal menswear tropes.”
Smith added some fun to the collection, which is reflected in the short suits.
Because it’s a collection for warmer months, he chose light textiles of puppytooth and pinstriped cloths, slub satin, cotton canvas, and textured knits. Smith includes prints in the collection, like l ‘Life Drawing,’ his trompe l’oeil, and his ‘Morning Light’ prints.
As for the military inspired wear, Smith tackles that in a unique way. He does what the House calls: military-meets-mod mood. Working in workwear inspiration into the military looks, Smith widens the lapel, has tab waists, stitched carpenter inspired pants, and has 6-button double breasted jackets.
“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,” Smith says in notes. “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 humour 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.”