Paul Smith AW2017 Advertising Campaign

Paul Smith AW2017 Advertising Campaign is lighthearted and playful and takes a lateral view of the traditional family portrait, presenting them with the gentle humour and surrealist eye so synonymous with Paul Smith. The film campaign takes place during after-dinner festivities, as friends play a parlour game involving a collection of curious masks created by the set designer Gary Card. This irreverent setting offers an insight into the nature of Paul Smith and elaborates on the formality of the traditional AW2017 catwalk show. The film showcases both men and women together to illuminate the merging of the collections on the runway, and to highlight the parallels between the two lines.

The Paul Smith AW2017collections are filled with tactile tailoring cloths sourced from British mills including Lovatt and Hardy Minnis. Innately British weaves, such as Prince of Wales check and Black Watch tartan, are also prominent. This British focus continues with knitwear, where Scottish cashmere in muted colours and Fair Isle knits featuring woven charm motifs add texture and colour. In shirting, classic floral prints designed in-house, and exclusive Liberty prints introduce another British signature.

As ever with Paul Smith, the classic and conventional are subverted through various means: through colour, with clashing bolts of pillar box red and British racing green; through texture, with hardy cloths contrasting soft silks and cashmeres; and through silhouette, with a long, slim leg expanding through the torso into a strong, broad shoulder shape. From cloth to cut, tailoring is at the heart of Paul Smith and is confidently explored for both genders. Although men and women both feature in the campaign, tailoring is distinctly engineered to suit each form. Print is a cornerstone of Paul Smith and this is well articulated this season. A colourful feather motif is a focus; printed onto silk, hand-embroidered onto cashmere coats and appliqued onto leather accessories.