Paul Smith
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REVIEW
COMPLETE COLLECTION
LONDON, February 21, 2011
By Maya Singer
From the moment the sound system at Paul Smith's show came up on the opening bars of "Free Money," you had to guess that he had taken Just Kids-era Patti Smith as his muse. And there she was, sort of, in the mannish overcoat draped over the show's very first look. Sort of, because the version of boy dressing for girls that Paul Smith turned out this season was quite a bit nattier than the threadbare androgyny she invented and perfected in the seventies.That's not a complaint: Threadbare isn't really Paul Smith's thing, and it would have looked contrived if he'd gone for a straight-up Patti homage. Instead, he gave his menswear-inspired looks a poppy, preppy polish—throwing that show-opening mannish coat over a polka-dot blazer and rust-colored cropped and cuffed pants, for example, or putting a bright orange waistband on a pair of pinstripe trousers. Smith's trousers are worth dwelling on: For women who aren't entirely convinced by the current wide-leg silhouette, his boyish slacks are a strong alternative. There were the high-waisted narrow pants, cuffed at the ankle, rolled-up cords, slouchy khakis. They all looked great. And there are going to be a lot of takers for Smith's knits, especially standouts like his marled burgundy boyfriend cardigan and bright orange oversized cable sweater.
Some of the strongest pieces in the collection saw Smith taking some poetic license with his menswear inspiration, in particular the collarless coats and jackets in men's suiting fabrics, with a heavy top-stitch. There were outright feminine looks as well, such as a series of floral-embroidered pieces a little bit redolent of Christopher Kane's Fall 2010 collection. Smith's floral dresses were different enough that it didn't matter, really, that the look felt a touch familiar; that said, a long, floral-embroidered dress in gray tweed seemed a little ungainly. There were a few other looks that could have been cut—an oversize tuxedo shirt, for example, fit the theme but went against the show's tailored mien, and the little bit of fur here seemed more obligatory than anything else. All in all, though, this was a good collection for Smith—he certainly knows his menswear, and he had no trouble giving it a girlish twist.
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Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear
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Farah Angsana Fashion East Felder Felder Felipe Oliveira Baptista Fendi Francesco Scognamiglio Frank Tell -
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Gabriele Colangelo Gap Gareth Pugh Gary Graham Giambattista Valli Gianfranco Ferré Giles Giorgio Armani Givenchy Graeme Armour Gregory Parkinson G-Star Gucci -
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Haider Ackermann Hakaan Halston Helmut Lang Hermès Hervé Léger by Max Azria Holly Fulton House of Holland -
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Iceberg Imitation of Christ Isaac Mizrahi Isabel Marant Issa Issey Miyake -
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Karen Walker Kelly Wearstler Kenzo Kevork Kiledjian Kimberly Ovitz Kinder Aggugini -
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L.A.M.B. L'Wren Scott Lanvin Lela Rose Libertine Limi Feu Loewe Louise Gray Louis Vuitton Luca Luca Luisa Beccaria Lyn Devon -
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Naeem Khan NAHM Nanette Lepore Narciso Rodriguez Neil Barrett Nicholas K Nicolas Andreas Taralis Nicole Farhi Nicole Miller Nina Ricci No. 21 Norma Kamali -
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Paul & Joe Paul Smith Pedro Lourenço Peter Jensen Peter Pilotto Peter Som Philosophy Piazza Sempione Ports 1961 PPQ Prabal Gurung Prada Preen Pringle of Scotland Proenza Schouler -
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Sacai Sachin + Babi Salvatore Ferragamo Sass & Bide Sharon Wauchob Sonia Rykiel Sophie Theallet Sportmax St. John Stella McCartney Stephen Burrows Steven Alan Suno -
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Undercover United Bamboo -
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Valentino Vanessa Bruno Vena Cava Vera Wang Véronique Leroy Versace Versus Victoria Beckham Viktor & Rolf Vionnet Vivienne Tam Vivienne Westwood Vivienne Westwood Red Label VPL -
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Wayne Wes Gordon Willow -
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Zac Posen Zero + Maria Cornejo Z Spoke by Zac Posen
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