Pocketful Of Sunshine
As British fashion icon Sir Paul Smith shines a light on his spring/summer 2022 men’s collection, he tells us about sartorial optimism, the art of giving advice, and why you won’t find him lounging in pyjamas during lockdown.
“I’M IN LONDON and the sun’s just come out,” notes Sir Paul Smith, his voice crackling with energy through the telephone. “It’s been grey and rainy all day until you called, so you obviously had a strong influence.” Far be it from me to deny the power of the tropics; it’s not difficult to imagine that the sun always does come out for Sir Paul.
Having spent a lifetime embracing vibrant colour palettes and channelling a quirky sense of humour into his designs, Sir Paul’s irresistible sense of joy has accompanied his creations since the British brand was founded in 1970. Beside his gloriously sharp, striking suits and his signature rainbow stripes, he has poured his sunny disposition into tandem bicycles, floor lamps and an electric Mini Cooper SE. His new spring/summer 2022 men’s collection, in turn, presents an impressive display of solar-powered buoyancy.
“It’s very much a colour story of optimism,” he explains. “Lots of happy colours – and we certainly need it, what with lockdown. It’s a collection I’ve been dreaming about: being outside again and referencing the colours you enjoy within a day. I have a home in
Italy, so it starts off with the citrus and lemon colours of the early morning sun, then goes through to the terracotta of old Tuscan buildings and a blue sky.”
Sir Paul points out pieces that speak to a collective yearning for celebration and adventure – a safari suit in buttery sea island poplin, a rust-coloured linen suit – but are also grounded in practicality. “A lot of us have clothes in our wardrobe that we’ve not had the opportunity to wear for a year and a half. This collection is one from which you can buy a jacket, a piece of knitwear or some shorts, and add them to your existing wardrobe for a whole new look with lovely colours or sunflower prints.”
The construction of many of the designs are noticeably relaxed. “It’s just the modern wardrobe, after the way we’ve been dressing in lockdown.” But Sir Paul eschewed the pandemic’s sartorial staple of pyjamas. Remaining fiercely loyal to the traditions of suitwearing, he reveals he wore a suit to work in his Covent Garden headquarters every day during lockdown. “Which makes me smile! I enjoy wearing suits, even with nobody else around. I’d get