Sir Paul Smith Reflects on 50 Years of Dressing Stars, From David Bowie to Jenna Ortega
Sir Paul Smith is looking back.
“What we’ve managed to achieve in the last six months is getting to the final stages of having quite a thorough, good archive of my work over the years,” the British fashion designer said from Tokyo, where he unveiled the first of two exhibitions celebrating the history of Paul Smith tailoring opening this fall.
More from WWD
While the show in Tokyo is centered on what it means to wear a suit in today’s world, the Los Angeles edition is about how star wattage has powered the brand over the years, from dressing David Bowie to Jenna Ortega.
It’s opening Thursday in the “big pink shoebox,” as Smith playfully calls his Melrose Avenue shop with a bubblegum-colored facade that’s a West Hollywood landmark of the digital age, constantly attracting tourists posing for selfies. Titled, “A Frame Around a Picture: Dressing the Greats,” it is a showcase of his celebrity and red carpet dressing through the years, emphasizing his sharply defined silhouette and whimsical touch. The looks include the chocolate brown wool suit worn by “Oppenheimer” star Cillian Murphy to this year’s Oscar nominees luncheon and a bespoke check ensemble worn by Bowie during a British GQ photo shoot in October 1997 (with Smith making a cameo in the spread).
“David Bowie became quite a good pal of mine in the end,” Smith said, when asked for a memory that stands out from his years of dressing celebrities. “He wore Paul Smith off the stage, not on the stage. I was always proud to dress him, because he always had such a sense of style. He put things on and looked great.”
Smith went through nearly 4,600 pieces from his archives and narrowed it down to ones worn by Ortega, Harrison Ford, Matt Smith, Noel Gallagher, Gary Oldman, John Legend, Shawn Mendes and Niall Horan.
“It should fit you,” he said of the art of tailoring. “That’s the key point. You can’t cheat with tailoring, whereas with casual wear, you can wear oversize or slightly undersized.…It should create a frame, a picture frame for your body and make you look good. And that’s the idea of a suit, really.”
What began with a small shop in Nottingham, England, in 1970, the Paul Smith brand has grown to 130 shops in more than 60 countries.
What’s next for Paul Smith?
“As we all know, the world is going through all sorts of turmoil at the moment, so stabilizing your business, anybody’s business, is the key thing at the moment,” he said. “We’re pleased to say that the wearing of more tailored clothes is returning after the more casual era of COVID-19. And so, we have a new shop in Shanghai. We’ve renovated our shop in Los Angeles, and I’m still the Saturday boy in my shop in Mayfair. So, not bad.”
“A Frame Around a Picture: Dressing the Greats” will run until Oct. 21 at 8221 Melrose Avenue.
Best of WWD
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
