The sun-bleached colors and textures in Paul Smith’s spring collection nodded to arid, desert landscapes, but Smith filtered the idea through his wondrous sartorial prism. A sand-colored linen tunic top, fringed with raffia and paired with tailored khaki pants, opened the show, while a pale-blue, sleeveless tunic dress looked more like an oversize men’s shirt, worn with flat sandals and a leather satchel slung across the model’s body. Jaunty stripes were also a recurring motif, like a relaxed cotton jacket in collegiate blue-and-gray stripes slipped over a gray shirtdress or vibrant orange, white and blue ones on silk T-shirt and camisole dresses.
But while Smith is known for his boy-meets-girl sensibility, the standouts in this collection were the looks that channeled a more feminine mood. Particularly beautiful was a delicate floral print in navy, white and china blue that appeared on a drop-waist silk smock dress with girlish, pleated skirts.