Paul Smith AW26 Menswear Collection

This year’s Paul Smith AW26 show on the Saturday of Milan Fashion Week was a welcome affair, full of positivity and, in true Paul Smith fashion, “fun.”

The Autumn/Winter ’26 collection demonstrates what Paul calls magpie dressing, which is shot through with the joy of collecting treasures. As Paul describes it, “you find a badge in a vintage shop and add that, or it’s the way you tie things around your neck.”

Together with the newly appointed Head of Men’s Design, Sam Cotto (I say newly, Sam and Paul have known and worked on and off together for over a decade), they have taken inspiration from Paul’s Nottingham-based archive, home to nearly 5,000 garments. Look two in the show, for example, is actually a design from 1999 that has been reworked with modern and contemporary fabrics; coincidentally, look two is also one of Paul’s favourite looks.

Tailoring, as you would expect, plays a huge part, and inspiration has been taken from the 1980s and 1990s’ slightly oversized tailoring silhouettes. Paul, before the show, chatted to me about his love of oversized tailoring due to its ease of movement when compared with more modern tailoring. This practicality continues with the inclusion of deconstructed and inside-out details.

Other influences from the show came from more unusual references. Most interesting, I thought, was the bohemian world of artist Jean Cocteau. United by their love of everyday uniforms, Cocteau was rarely seen in anything other than his signature shirt and tie, while Paul is known for wearing a suit daily. Cocteau had a Parisian style, which is evident in the collection.

This show very much demonstrates the enduring genius of Paul Smith’s ability to look back and forward at the same time reworking, reimagining, whilst remaining timeless. Most importantly, it remains fun.