Boy Meets Girl, Boy Dresses Girl at Paul Smith
By Lauren David Peden
February 15, 2006 @ 12:39 AM - London
Cross-dressing has never looked so effortlessly chic and modern as it did at today's Paul Smith show, held at London's Royal Horticultural Halls.
Channeling the spirit of Hepburn (Kate, not Audrey) has already become de rigueur this season, as witnessed at countless of New York shows, but leave it to Sir Paul - whose claim to fame, after all, is witty, whimsical menswear - to show the other kids how it's done. In his capable hands, the women-in-menswear trend was a sartorial starting point, not an end game, and he gave it a clever collegiate twist that had us wishing we could go back to school for a do-over - only this time, we'd be so much better dressed.
From the slouchy brown wool trouser suit that opened the show to tweedy pegged-knee skirt and sweater looks to hunter's plaid shifts to leather bombers and trenches - many (even the fur coats) shown with bright striped elasticized belts - these girls borrowed from the boys without losing an ounce of femininity.
In fact, the mannish clothes made them look even sexier and more feminine than they might have in a frilly dress, as the suits were fashioned out of soft fabrics (echoing the softness of the women within) and tailored so that they appeared to have literally been borrowed from one's male roommate or boyfriend before heading across campus to study hall - and what's sexier than that? There were even a couple of tab-sleeved jumpsuits that might've been worn by Hepburn had she played Amelia Earhart.
The loose hair, fuzzy charcoal tights-with-pumps, shrunken appliquéd cardigans and tortoiseshell glasses worn by some of the models only heightened the knowing nerdlinger vibe.
Of course, there were a few dresses, too, and most of these hewed to the 1930s theme (cap sleeves, sweetheart neckline, polka dot velvet or fern patterned silk) for those nights when Smith's bookworms take a few hours off from cramming and head out to let loose. But not too loose, of course. These are nice girls, after all, and there is surely a test come morning.
