Britain’s Paul Smith shows looks for hung-over rock stars

Paul Smith shows looks for hung-over rock stars

PARIS — Paul Smith channeled the look of ’70s rock stars with a hangover in his spring-summer 2011 menswear show Sunday, where models wore T-shirts and skinny tie-dyed trousers that looked as if they’d been picked at random out of a pile on the floor.

Smith, an affable Englishman who got his start in fashion more than four decades ago by hawking T-shirts at London concerts, looked to groups like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin for inspiration, serving up mismatched looks fit for off-duty rockers.

Low-crotched, tapered trousers in ochre and purple tie-dye were worn with tee-shirts, silk blazers and socks shot with Lurex for a glam touch. Oliver Twist blouses with droopy bows at the neck and long tails were paired with slouchy dress pants with sweatpant elastic at the ankles.

Smith shows traditionally end with rowdy antics, and Sunday’s mix of models and real men — covered in tattoos and some sporting full beards — charged down the catwalk sipping beer from the can as Led Zeppelin blasted overhead.