Last season, Paul Smith opened his show with a song by Patti Smith, which was appropriate given that her attitude and sense of style resonated through the designer s Fall 2011 collection. This afternoon, the opening track was "All Tomorrow s Parties," by the Velvet Underground. But the music wasn t much of a clue to what followed. This read as something of a brass-tacks collection for Paul Smith—there were a ton of easygoing staple pieces, as well as some winning accessories, but no overarching proposition.
The emphasis was on trousers. Smith sent out three key silhouettes: There was a pair of trim, slightly cropped boyish pants and another tailored style that was wider, high-waisted, and shorter; he also showed a pair of slouchy jogging pants in both burgundy silk and the foulard print that threaded through the collection. The jogging pants looked like no-brainers—chic and cozy all at once, and a nice twist on fashion s present pajama trend—and the boyish trousers looked particularly good in plaid and pop colors such as mustard and electric blue. The third style, wide, high-waisted, and short, came off a touch awkward.
There were winning pieces studded throughout the show: Soft silk pleated skirts with a touch of sheen, an oversize pajama-stripe button-down, a drop-waist dress in the foulard, and a blouse and trousers in a cool smudged floral print. The accessories are also worth noting: Smith has a hit on his hands with this season s super-flat loafers, and a possible cult phenomenon in wood-heel sandals with contrasting bands of color. He also turned out a seriously chic fedora, done in burgundy wool with a pale coral band.
