14 November, 2014

Borrowed from the boys: Paul Smith AW14

It seems everyone is jumping on the unisex/androgyny/ambi-sex bandwagon lately, but one of the brands that does it best is Paul Smith. Perhaps it’s not immediately obvious, I just think his menswear – the colours, shapes, prints – swings both ways. I always check out his menswear shows for clues of what I’ll want to wear for the coming season. In particular his knitwear is consistently strong – great colours and patterns in classic shapes. (If you ever go to the Albemarle Street store, be sure to seek out the plain crew necks in every colour under the sun.) Then there are the coats and shoes – again, classic at heart but contemporary in their all-important details.

Happily, some of the knits come up small enough to work as an oversized piece on a woman (hello houndstooth sweater) or are replicated in the womenswear collection. I have a thing about musical notes and this season’s Paul Smith is full of them, on knitwear, coats and scarves. Look out for next season’s shoes too, when Paul Smith promises a properly unisex line of identical shoes for men and women…