Paul Smith: Hockney for Gals

David Hockney’s loving sister Margaret would have enjoyed Tuesday’s Paul Smith women's wear show in London, whose sense and cute commerciality mimicked her brother.

This July in Paris, the inspiration for Sir Paul’s very fine men’s collection was the Yorkshire painter, whose love of cheerful stripes, Pop Art ties and youthful round spectacles dominated the runway.

Today in London, the same ideas ran both through the women’s collection and down the splendid catwalk of the superb faded expanse of the Great Horticultural Halls. Bottle-top glasses in swimming pool blue hues; satin piped cricket blazers and rugby sweater columns all had that sunny Californian view of Britain.

His best looks were cable sweaters with Indie album blazers, parachute silk parkas and tops with appliqué flowers. It was a collection of polish and poise and eminently wearable for both first date and lazy weekend.

Plus, the architectural tour that is any good season took a great tangent today in the Art Deco 1929 cantilevered Lawrence Hall, where Smith turned the enormous back-drop into the an artists loft, smartly reworking one of Europe’s greatest concrete spaces.

Paul’s shows are generally the most professionally staged in London; yet somehow today’s show felt, ahem, tired; a designer going through the paces, a talent lacking a viscerally punchy theme, i.e. a slick 30 minutes with no soul.