The designer makes a strong case for the return of colour blocking for Spring Summer 13
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If Paul Smith took a picture of a Mondrian painting with Instagram then this is the collection he might have come up with. Blocked colours in a palette of forest greens, sunshine yellows, flashes of salmon pink and misty turquoise were an exercise in restraint.
The colours were blocked throughout but were divided into two strict categories: the girls and the boys. They came two by two: girls who like boys wearing the classic mannish tailoring that Paul Smith made his name with - narrow cut shirts and slim shorts, with feminine details such as a mustard yellow lace cuff or some pink silk panels.
The girls who like girls wore billowing floaty dresses cut to hang from the shoulder and flow in an a-line shape to mid calf. Sail-like, the dresses were punctuated with blocky diagonal stripes and panelled with swatches of sheer chiffon or navy lace. Heaven for a breezy summer's day. And, when paired with the simple silk or white leather smoking slippers that were worn throughout, really rather cool.
