Milan Fashion Week doesn’t often specialize in new talent. Instead, it often pedestals industry OGs who show how years in the game have only sharpened their instinct. Miuccia and Raf’s climbing-inspired Prada collection once again pushed the boundary of fashion’s beauty standards, Ralph Lauren did what only Ralph can, and Paul Smith’s suiting was as fun as it's ever been.

Highsnobiety saw the latter first-hand when catching up with Smith backstage. 

There are some things we’ve come to expect from Paul Smith after 56 years. The tailoring is always, from a technical standpoint, excellent — this is the tailor trusted with suits for everyone from Royal princes to Harry Styles, after all — and there is always a joyful pop of color, typical for a brand whose signature pattern comprises 40 different hues. The surprise this season is how the styling, or seeming lack thereof, delivered the most experimental and stylish version of Paul Smith in recent years.

It started from the outset, with a grey suit partnered with cream shirt and striped white tie. Conservative stuff, except the shirt was completely unbuttoned while the blazer’s collar was half stood up, as if the model had rolled out of bed and onto the runway. Smith didn’t stop there.

Across 30 looks, there were more bare chests beneath unbuttoned shirts, untied ties, and untucked tops. It broke all of biz-cas’ established rules, and yet it looked so good.

Silver pins holding bent spoons, created by jeweler CC-Steding, only added to the weirdness of it all, while the unstructured woven leather bags and elegant crocodile-print duffels flung around the model’s bodies further ruffled up the tailoring. 

The scruffy styling offered these classy suits a louche nonchalance. And it offered a fresh way to look at a brand best known for slim tailoring and bright knits.

Smith has, admittedly, been full of surprises lately, from collaborating with new-school skate brands to curating a Picasso exhibition in Japan, and this season, the designer’s proving he still has more tricks up his sharply tailored sleeve.

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