Larger Than Life

Fri, 11 May 2012 12:00:23 +0100

If you are interested in seeing some great photographs, check out the Rene Burri Larger than Life exhibition at ATLAS Gallery. The exhibition runs from May 11 - June 9.

www.atlasgallery.com

Paul Recommends

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:33:54 +0100

Michael Hoppen gallery is always full of interesting, exciting and special exhibitions and this one is no exception!

Les Amies de Place Blanche is on until the May 26
www.michaelhoppengallery.com

The Secret History - The World That Never Was: I recently met Lisa Ronson in New York and she very kindly gave me a copy of her CD which is well worth a listen if you get the chance!

If you are interested in Contemporary, Impressionist and Modern art there is a sale at Sotheby's on London's Bond Street from the April 12 until the April 18.

Campaign Shoot

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:51:43 +0100

I did the shoot for my autumn/winter 2012 advertising campaign yesterday, photographing my men's and women's collections.

It was (another) busy day but we got everything done. Phew! Now I'm off to New York for the 25^th anniversary of my Fifth Avenue shop.

SEE THE LATEST PAUL SMITH COLLECTION

Paul's Picks

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:02:24 +0100

Jean Paul Goude
If you are in Paris there is a fantastic exhibition at Les Arts Decoratifs; a retrospective of Jean Paul Goude. It is the first exhibition of his work in Paris. He was born in 1940 and is a graphic designer, illustrator, photographer and advertising film director - one of the best contemporary image makers. It's so fabulous because much of his work was ahead of its time, innovative and pre-Photoshop!
It shows real invention, lateral thinking and is truly creative. Well worth a visit!
Until March 18 at Les Arts Décoratifs, 107 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris
www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr

David Hockney
His fantastic and very exciting exhibition opens at the Royal Academy of Art this Saturday, January 21 - not to be missed!

Guy Bourdin
There is a wonderful exhibition starting on February 2 at Michael Hoppen Contemporary of Guy Bourdin's amazing photographs. I can't wait to see it!
Until March 10 at Michael Hoppen Contemporary, 3 Jubilee Place, London, SW3

SEE THE PAUL SMITH SHOW ARCHIVE

Cool Jewels

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:42:03 +0100

Before Christmas, I was privileged to go to the Elizabeth Taylor Jewellery Auction at Christies in New York. The final amount for the sale was $156,756,576! I was there on the night and saw the 80 lots of jewellery being auctioned. This photo shows the hammer about to go down on a $10.5 million La Peregrina natural pearl, diamond, ruby and coated pearl necklace. Actually, the final price after all the fees was in fact $11,842,500!

WOW.

Merry Christmas

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:56:03 +0100

SEE THIS YEAR'S MOST FASHIONABLE CHRISTMAS CARDS

Crazy Clown

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 11:01:00 +0100

David Lynch has a new album out called Crazy Clown Time which I am really looking forward to listening to! He has also opened a new club in Paris called Silencio which is inspired by Club Silencio in Mulholland Drive. He has been very busy!

iPad Art

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:46:46 +0100

I have been having a lot of fun taking photographs on my iPad using the x-ray effect in Photobooth recently. I took this photo and then by chance came across this exhibition which looks quite similar! It is the Edmund Chamberlain exhibition at Browse & Darby in London and it looks fantastic.

19 Cork Street, London, WIS 3LP
Exhibition from November 16 to December 2
www.browseanddarby.co.uk

Supermodels For Sale

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:21:35 +0100

There are two very interesting auctions of photographs taking place at Phillips de Pury in New York this week - Photographs and The Arc of Photography - if you are in the area you should check them out!

SEE THE LATEST PAUL SMITH SHOW

This iconic photograph of supermodels Helena Christensen, Stephanie Seymour, Karen Mulder, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford is by Peter Lindbergh and was shot in Brooklyn in 1991.

www.phillipsdepury.com

Designs On Life

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0100

London Design Festival
For the London Design Festival, award-winning architects, AL_A, and engineering firm Arup created a giant timber wave cascading down the steps of the grand entrance of the V&A. I visited yesterday and it is really fantastic!

John Pawson
I have always loved the work of architect and designer John Pawson and for the London Design Festival he has teamed up with Swarovski Crystal to create an installation in the geometric staircase of St Paul's Cathedral. The project, called Perspectives, is part of the 300^th anniversary of the completion of St Paul's and is a really fascinating piece of work. It looks amazing and is well worth a visit (open to the public until January 2012).

SEE PAUL SMITH'S LATEST CATWALK SHOW

Fashion’s Night Out

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:56:00 +0100

It was a really successful night last night, with both Floral Street and Langley Court shops welcoming hundreds of guests. The parties spilled out onto the streets and the Metronomy DJ set really got people dancing - there was even an impromptu dance-off in the shop which got a round of applause

The drinks flowed all night, there was a lively atmosphere and we've had lots of lovely messages and feedback from all those that enjoyed themselves.

Great!

Seeing September

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0100

There are lots of great things happening in September and there's a few things that I'm really looking forward to seeing:

The Power of Making exhibition which is on at the V&A, Porter Gallery, from September 6. It looks at the role of making, and there is an eclectic selection of over 100 exquisitely-crafted objects by amateurs and leading makers from around the world. The alphabet gate (made from pencils) is amazing - I think it will be really fascinating and can't wait to visit.
www.vam.ac.uk

Also, at the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery early September is Kate Jenkins' Kate's Crochet Market exhibition looks really fun! All the pieces are knitted and there's a great selection.
www.r-h-g.com

Then from September 8 at the Michael Hoppen Gallery is High Tide, the first solo exhibition in Europe of Alejandro Chaskielberg photographs, which are really fantastic. He was the overall winner of this year's Sony World Photography Award.
www.michaelhoppencontemporary.com

Sixty Impossible Things Before Lunch

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 09:00:00 +0100

Paul Smith is now away until mid-August and will resume blogging upon his return.

At The Design Conspiracy this week there is a great little exhibition of the illustrator Harriet Russell's work. The illustrations are from her new book entitled Sixty Impossible Things Before Lunch - it's on until July 22, so if you get the chance do go along to see it.

Where: The Design Conspiracy, 12 Stukeley Street, London, WC2B 5LQ
When: From 15th - 22nd July, Weekdays 10am-6pm, Weekends 11am-4pm
Contact: 020 7405 0875
More info: www.harrietrussell.co.uk and www.thedesignconspiracy.com/gallery

Fresh From Paris

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:13:32 +0100

On Sunday I had my men's show for spring/summer 2012. It was held in an old convent in Paris, which we have used a few times before. WOW it was hot! The temperature in Paris was into the high Thirties and the show was like a sauna (we served ice-cream and bottles of water before the show!). I already knew it was going to be hot on Sunday and with this in mind I kept the show short and to the point with only 43 outfits. Still, I think the message was clear - simple looks and sophisticated colours with lots of shades of navy blue, with highlight colours in orange, tobacco, and terracotta. Inside the venue, I painted everything white to give a strong, simple, clear vision and used florescent tube lighting as a backdrop to give a more graphic look.

Luckily the reviews so far have been great!

Here are some photos from the day.

Backstage preparations

Rehearsing the finale with the models

Photos from the show

Hounds, Hotels And Herb

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:42:00 +0100

There is a great exhibition of the photography of Herb Ritts from the private archive starting at Hamiltons Gallery on June 22 – should be well worth a visit.

While you are there, you can look at the new water feature outside the Connaught Hotel designed by Tadao Ando.

This week we started to sell our spring 2012 collections for both men and women. Our showrooms in Milan, Paris, New York and London have all the new collections and are looking really great. I am especially excited about my main collection for women. Of course the catwalk collection is still being worked on for London Fashion Week in September.

Last night I was staying in a lovely country hotel in Nottingham and got up very early to travel back to London. Here are some photographs from the grounds of the hotel.

Finally, on the way to the train station I came across the local hunt hounds being exercised and suddenly saw a pack of hounds coming towards me in the vale of Belvoir.

Best In Fashion

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:53:00 +0100

All the college shows are about to happen, ranging from fashion design, graphic design to painting. Please check out the various sites of the important schools - RCA, Slade, Saint Martins - as if you have time they are well worth a visit.

Also if you are a designer or just someone interested in beautiful clothes and you happen to be visiting Florence in Italy, there is a beautiful little shop called Rein which has recently opened. The shop sells a selection of prototypes of the designer Cesare Fabbri's previous women's collections. Because they are prototypes, each piece comes in one size only and they have a label stating which season and year they are from. Currently the shop is full of white and beige clothes, but it will change in colour as the year goes by. Later in the year, Cesare is aiming to add some newly-designed pieces to the shop. It is very special and worth a visit (Rien, via scialoja 21r, 50136 Firenze, Italy).

Finally, if you get the opportunity to see the Wim Crouwel exhibition at the Design Museum, do so before it finishes on July 3. I went last week and it is really fantastic! This is his first retrospective in this country.

Paul Smith meets The Sartorialist

Thu, 19 May 2011 14:47:05 +0100

Paul Smiths exhibition recommendations

Thu, 19 May 2011 13:40:46 +0100

Haunch Of Venison Must-Sees

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:14:00 +0100

There is an interesting new exhibition at Haunch of Venison starting on February 17. The exhibition is called Garden Eden and is by Susanne Kuhn.

Haunch of Venison is a great venue and well worth a visit. As it is right in the centre of London you could also go to the Royal Academy which is just next door, take a visit to Savile Row which is across the road, then on to Cork Street which is full of beautiful art galleries and then pop into Abercrombie & Fitch and buy a T-shirt! And of course, finish with a posh lunch at Cecconis.

Also on at Haunch of Venison, starting the same day February 17 is the Meekyoung Shin exhibition called Translation - this looks very special.

www.haunchofvenison.com

Whilst you are in the area (starting on March 2), you could go to see a very nice exhibition called Writers Rooms 4 at the Francis Kyle gallery which looks really good!

Image: 'Agatha Christie in the West Country: The mystery of the empty chair at Greenways 2010’

www.franciskylegallery.com

A Royal Find

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:45:00 +0100

As the royal wedding is coming up a recent antique find of mine seems really appropriate. They're fabric swatches of dresses that were worn at the wedding of the Princess Victoria, Princess Royal who was the eldest child and daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert from January 25, 1858. It shows the fabrics, for instance, of Queen Victoria, Duchess of Kent, Duchess of Sutherland, Duchess of Wellington, Duchess of Argyle and Princess of Cambridge.

The dresses, which were manufactured in the Spitalfield Area of London, cost 50 guineas each (£52.50 today) - ALOT! The fabric looks really modern and would work today and the colour selection works so well as a group.

There's a new fun exhibition that's coming up called Postcards From Vegas by Rob and Nick Carter - should be well worth a look if you are walking down Bond Street from January 15. It'll be held at the Fine Art Society (148 New Bond Street, W1). www.fascontemporary.com

Paul Recommends

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 12:26:00 +0100

Cirque du Soleil – Totem
I’m not sure if you are a fan of Cirque du Soleil, but seeing is believing if you get the opportunity of going. Starting in London at the Royal Albert Hall from January is their new show, Totem.

www.cirquedusoleil.com

Future Generation Art Prize
There was an amazing Art Competition called the Future Generation Art Prize, established by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in Kiev, with a very generous prize of £100,000! The winner was Brazilian film maker, Cinthia Marcelle – definitely one to keep an eye on!

www.futuregenerationartprize.org

Great new limited edition book out called Any Day Now: David Bowie the London Years (1947 – 1974) by Kevin Cann. This exclusive hardback edition contains many rare items and is individually numbered and signed by the author. There are also 122 rare and exclusive facsimiles of photographs, a newsletter, promotional biog, theatre programme, stickers and tickets. There is also a paperback version available priced at £24.99. Click here for more information: www.adelita.co.uk.

New York Tip

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 11:36:00 +0100

This looks like a really interesting exhibition and well worth checking out if you are in New York.

The Morgan Library and Museum presents a month-long exhibition of photographs by Missimo Listri of The Great Libraries of Europe.

The show coincides with the reopening of the Morgan's original 1906 library and includes 23 large format photographs of magnificent rooms as Michelangelo's Laurentian Library.

Great European Libraries: A Photographic Journey Opens December 8, 2010

Massimo Listri, Biblioteca del Trinity College, Dublin, 1992, lambda print.

The Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Avenue, at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016-3405, 001 212.685.0008, www.themorgan.org

Paul's London Exhibition Guide

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 10:54:00 +0100

David Hockney - Paris

David Hockney: Fleurs fraîches - Drawings on iPhone and iPad from October 20, 2010 to January 30, 2011.

Great new exhibition by David Hockney in Paris at the Fondation Pierre Berge/Yves Saint Laurent of over 200 drawings made on the iphone and ipad.

www.fondation-pb-ysl.net

Somerset House - Dior Illustrated: René Gruau and the Line of Beauty

www.somersethouse.org.uk/fashion/dior

Until January 9, 2011

I have always been in awe of the work of Rene Gruau and I was lucky enough to meet him just before he died. Amazingly he was more interested in drawing monsters than fashion when I met him, which was quite bizarre.

This exhibition shows how "new" his work was at the time and features a lot of the work he did for Dior. The exhibition is well worth a visit for anyone interested in illustration.

Maggie’s

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 12:03:00 +0100

I was in my home town of Nottingham, England, to launch a really great project for Maggies (www.maggiescentres.org), which is a charity that builds houses around the country using well known architects Richard Rogers, Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry to name a few. The houses are built in grounds of hospitals and provide a tranquil environment for Cancer sufferers to relax in, enjoy or have privacy and conversation with helpers.

The one being built in Nottingham is designed by Piers Gough of CZWG Architects and I am designing the interior. A really worthwhile project, if any of you ever want to donate to it we would be very thankful.

Mini In NY

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 10:42:00 +0100

My well known striped mini, which you might love - like or hate, is on a tour of America at the moment. It has already been to the west coast and is now in my shop in Soho. It has been very popular especially with people wanting to be photographed in it or next to it, so it has been a really nice worthwhile project.

Press Day

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:56:00 +0100

Last Tuesday we had our press day and it was brilliant - we had over 200 visitors. It is really interesting to assemble all the collections together in one room. I was really pleased to see that each collection had its own identity. Also Sharp, the electronics company, very kindly lent us a massive high definition wall of screens which was great to see the fashion shows and other projects we have been doing on such a scale and in such great definition.

Fun Of The Fair

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:37:00 +0100

An exciting exhibition is about to start in a fantastic 20,000 sq ft new space in London’s Savile Row. The gallery is owned by Hauser & Wirth who are internationally renowned and the exhibition is entitled The Fabric Works by Louise Bourgeois. The exhibition should coincide with the Frieze art fair in London and if you’re in town, please visit. If not, make a note and visit when you’re next here!

23 Savile Row, W1

Japanese Fashion

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 09:13:00 +0100

A must for anybody who admires these very creative Japanese designers – It should be a brilliant exhibition.

Future Beauty – 30 years of Japanese Fashion – 15 Oct 2010– 6th Feb 2011.
Barbican Art gallery.

Galleries Galore

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 11:11:00 +0100

I thought you might like to know about these forthcoming exhibitions. I have not been to see them but I think they will be really interesting:

Yayoi Kusama – Outdoor Sculptures at the Victoria Miro gallery – 16 Wharf Road, London W1 – Oct 7 to Nov 13 2010.

Philip Eglin/Tony Hayward – Double Take at Marsden Woo Gallery – 17-18 Great Sutton Street, London, EC1 – Sept 23 – Nov 6 2010.

Anish Kapoor- Turning the World Upside Down – Kensington Gardens (Serpentine gallery) London W2 – from September 28.

Photography Picks

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:23:00 +0100

I am a big fan of Marc Newson's work so I'm disappointed that I am not in NY this week to go to the opening of Transport - an exhibition of his work at the Gagosian Gallery, including the launch of Aquariva; Newson's interpretation of the famous leisure boat which looks absolutely stunning!

www.gagosiangallery.com

Also later this month at the Coutauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, there is the launch of Photography Discussed - a book with essays by the great photographer Eve Arnold and Mark Haworth Booth amongst others.

www.courtaultdinstitute.com

Much later in the year there is of course the fantastic Paris photo exhibition which is at the Carrousel du Louvre, Paris from November 18-21.

www.caroeldulouvre.com

Chatsworth, The Attic Sale: This three day auction is being held by Sotheby's at Chatsworth estate, Derbyshire, from the October 5-7. It looks fantastic and, with 1422 lots for sale, there is an incredible selection of items.

www.sotheby's.com

Finally, I am pleased to hear that David McLean one of the guys who works at my Covent Garden shop in London has been shortlisted for the Vogue Fashion photography blog competition - really fantastic news. Good luck David!