Paul Smith creates costumes for Pete Townshend's Quadrophenia 'Mod ballet'
Quadrophenia has been an album, a rock opera and a movie and now it's become a ballet with Paul Smith on board to design the costumes.
The Who's landmark 1973 album Quadrophenia debuts this month as 'Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet', presented by Sadler's Wells and Universal Music UK. It's at Sadler's Wells in London until 13 July and will also tour the UK over the summer.
Smith's involvement is perhaps fitting given the mod obsession with sharp tailoring and the designer's beginnings as a tailor in the 1960s and 70s. As the press release says, he 'played a pivotal role in the reinvention and modernisation of men's tailoring in the 20th century. His eponymous company has continued to champion his playful, irreverent ideals during the intervening six decades, making Sir Paul and his team uniquely placed to create the costumes for this new vision of Pete Townshend's opus'.
The brief for the ballet was to design and make suits that 'faithfully replicate mod fashion's famously razor-sharp lines whilst also giving the dancers a full range of movement'. Paul Smith has created suits that 'are immediately reminiscent of the 1960s, with slim trousers and jackets featuring narrow lapels, longer vents, and additional buttons. Working with the cast, each suit has been made bespoke for each dancer, to ensure they are entirely unrestricted while dancing'.
A greater range of motion has been achieved through the implementation of design details, such as articulated sleeve gussets and specially cut trousers.
That materials include tonic suiting, subtle checks, and details like the famous 'target' motif. A full-length stone-coloured raincoat, adapted from the company's AW24 collection and similar to a piece seen in the 1979 feature film, will also be worn onstage.
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Fashion Network
2 days ago
- Fashion Network
Paul Smith creates costumes for Pete Townshend's Quadrophenia 'Mod ballet'
Quadrophenia has been an album, a rock opera and a movie and now it's become a ballet with on board to design the costumes. The Who's landmark 1973 album Quadrophenia debuts this month as 'Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet', presented by Sadler's Wells and Universal Music UK. It's at Sadler's Wells in London until 13 July and will also tour the UK over the summer. Smith's involvement is perhaps fitting given the mod obsession with sharp tailoring and the designer's beginnings as a tailor in the 1960s and 70s. As the press release says, he 'played a pivotal role in the reinvention and modernisation of men's tailoring in the 20th century. His eponymous company has continued to champion his playful, irreverent ideals during the intervening six decades, making Sir Paul and his team uniquely placed to create the costumes for this new vision of Pete Townshend's opus'. The brief for the ballet was to design and make suits that 'faithfully replicate mod fashion's famously razor-sharp lines whilst also giving the dancers a full range of movement'. Paul Smith has created suits that 'are immediately reminiscent of the 1960s, with slim trousers and jackets featuring narrow lapels, longer vents, and additional buttons. Working with the cast, each suit has been made bespoke for each dancer, to ensure they are entirely unrestricted while dancing'. A greater range of motion has been achieved through the implementation of design details, such as articulated sleeve gussets and specially cut trousers. That materials include tonic suiting, subtle checks, and details like the famous 'target' motif. A full-length stone-coloured raincoat, adapted from the company's AW24 collection and similar to a piece seen in the 1979 feature film, will also be worn onstage.
Fashion Network
2 days ago
- Fashion Network
Paul Smith creates costumes for Pete Townshend's Quadrophenia 'Mod ballet'
Quadrophenia has been an album, a rock opera and a movie and now it's become a ballet with Paul Smith on board to design the costumes. The Who's landmark 1973 album Quadrophenia debuts this month as 'Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet', presented by Sadler's Wells and Universal Music UK. It's at Sadler's Wells in London until 13 July and will also tour the UK over the summer. Smith's involvement is perhaps fitting given the mod obsession with sharp tailoring and the designer's beginnings as a tailor in the 1960s and 70s. As the press release says, he 'played a pivotal role in the reinvention and modernisation of men's tailoring in the 20th century. His eponymous company has continued to champion his playful, irreverent ideals during the intervening six decades, making Sir Paul and his team uniquely placed to create the costumes for this new vision of Pete Townshend's opus'. The brief for the ballet was to design and make suits that 'faithfully replicate mod fashion's famously razor-sharp lines whilst also giving the dancers a full range of movement'. Paul Smith has created suits that 'are immediately reminiscent of the 1960s, with slim trousers and jackets featuring narrow lapels, longer vents, and additional buttons. Working with the cast, each suit has been made bespoke for each dancer, to ensure they are entirely unrestricted while dancing'. A greater range of motion has been achieved through the implementation of design details, such as articulated sleeve gussets and specially cut trousers. That materials include tonic suiting, subtle checks, and details like the famous 'target' motif. A full-length stone-coloured raincoat, adapted from the company's AW24 collection and similar to a piece seen in the 1979 feature film, will also be worn onstage.
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6 days ago
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Sir Paul Smith, at 78, makes his Milan catwalk debut
Don't try telling Sir Paul Smith you can't teach an old dog new tricks, after the British designer made his Milan debut with one of his nattiest collections in years. In the past couple of years, Smith has amassed a significant archive of over 4,600 looks, collecting them all in his hometown of Northampton — a visual memory that played a strong role in his fine collection. 'It's actually very exciting when one of our young designers on the team who is 20 years old comes back with a look that he thinks is cool and excites him,' beamed Sir Paul after his Saturday afternoon show. That said, Sir Paul himself was inspired by the very idea of bohemian travel and wandering around foreign markets looking for something exotic to buy. A key to the collection was Smith riffing on clothes and items he discovered in his formative years. This included a series of great crepe shirts printed with bright birds and flowers, inspired by the banks of the Nile. A trip with his wife, Pauline, to Cairo decades ago led to the Egyptian influences. In tailoring, he also lightened up the form and fabrics of his suits, reducing shoulder padding and leaving jackets unlined. Nostalgia for flea market finds also inspired some great berets, finished with pins and medallions. 'I've been coming to and enjoying Italy all my life, presenting my collections in Pitti at one stage, but never doing a show in Milan. It's about time,' cackled Smith, who is the proud owner of an estate in Tuscany. Success has also allowed Smith to become a notable property owner. If his first shop in Northampton was just three square meters, he now owns shops and showrooms throughout the world — from his Paris hôtel particulier to his large show space in Milan. 'I bought this place in 2001 and thought finally I should do something with it!' laughed the ever-sprightly Sir Paul, who dashed down two flights of stairs to take his extended ovation.
