My Love Letter to Paul Smith

To Sir Paul, With Love

I’ve loved and worn Paul Smith clothes for as long as I can remember. I love simple, plain menswear—but with a little something special. What I love most about the pieces I’ve worn (and still have in my closet) are the details.

For example, it might look like a classic navy sweater at first, but then you notice the cuff—one with a pink stripe, the other with a white. My favorite suit had the most beautiful lining color that completely contrasted the simplicity of the suit detail. It’s what made me love it so much.

Many designers claim to make menswear for women, but they change the cuts and the fabrics—it’s just not the same. Shoutout to the womenswear designers at Paul Smith—keep doing what you do, just shrinking them down for us little girls.

I’ve followed Paul Smith on Instagram for quite a while, and I always love seeing posts labeled Shot by Paul—which he takes himself or his team puts up.

One day last year, when his 50th anniversary book was released, I couldn’t help myself—I sent a message on Instagram. “Oh, congratulations. Please save one for me so you can sign it.” I said it in pure excitement. I had never met him, nor did I know anyone who knew him, but hey—a girl can dream.

Fast forward a month or so, and there it was—a Paul Smith book sitting on my desk, signed by Sir Paul himself. No note, no explanation, just “For Bobbi Brown. XO, Paul Smith.”

I had no idea who to thank. Of course, I took a picture and posted it, still completely clueless about how it got there. Eventually, one of the girls on my team mentioned that someone had dropped it off—and it turned out to be the U.S. president of Paul Smith, who happens to live in a neighboring town.

Small world, right?

I instantly sent a thank-you and soon got an email that completely floored me—when I’m next in London, Sir Paul would like to invite me for tea.

To say I was smitten is an understatement. I was running around the office, showing everyone the email, absolutely giddy. But truth be told, most of my very young team had never even heard of Paul Smith. So, of course, I made them look him up, Google his work, and get properly educated.

Now, they definitely know who Paul Smith is.

Fortuitously, I already had plans to be in London the following month—I had been invited to a Sir Paul McCartney concert with my family. And really, how do you say no to that? So this was a double excitement whammy.

I made plans to have tea with Paul Smith and asked if I could bring my family along. His response? "Absolutely! Bring everyone you know."

When the day came, we arrived at a beautiful brownstone, rang the doorbell, and guess who answered? Sir Paul himself. From the moment we said hello, he was the most charming, bubbly, high-energy, sweet, and wildly creative person I’ve ever met—and I’ve met a lot.

I didn’t know what to expect. I figured we’d sit down for tea, chat for a bit, take a photo, and that would be it—which would have been more than enough. But what happened instead? We spent the entire afternoon together—our one-hour visit turned into three. And by the time we left, we hugged and said goodbye like old friends.

Yes, this is when Prince Charles came by the studio.

Paul’s energy is absolutely infectious. His British boyish charm, his endless enthusiasm—he just wanted to teach, share, and tell stories. Everywhere we looked, there were piles and piles of things—boxes of scarves, sweaters, socks, coats, and objects from all over the world. Every single item had a story. So many of them had been sent to him by people who thought they’d mean something to him—and he had saved every bit of it.

Paul’s foot on a photo of Paul.

For someone like me—who loves things a little minimal but is also incredibly visual—the experience was overwhelming in the best way possible. I asked if it was okay to take photos, and he said, "No, you must. Take as many as you want. And please, take anything you see here."

Everywhere I looked, there was something I would have bought in a heartbeat. He insisted that all four of us take five things each and that we couldn’t leave until we had all chosen five items.

I ended up with a scarf, socks, an eyeglass holder, a sweater, and more than one signed item.

Here are a bunch of photos—they pretty much speak for themselves.

Getting a kiss from the office pet bird.

One of the floors we visited was the architectural floor, where Paul’s team designs all of his stores—both in London and globally (and there are many). What’s incredible is that each store is completely unique.

Since this is what my husband, Steven, does for a living, I think this was probably his favorite part of the visit. Paul made sure Steven touched everything—the railings, the furniture, the intricate details he found special. He also gave us a list of must-see stores in London, pointing out different design elements we had talked about.

I brought this glasses case home and gave it to my Product Development team to possibly create a mini brush holder in the future

Of course, we took his advice and went on a Paul Smith store tour around the city. And at our final stop, something amazing happened.

Duke—who loves clothes and has become completely smitten with the Paul Smith range—was trying on a jacket. It was a Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m., and guess who walks into the store?

Our new friend, Paul Smith.

A bit more serious. Paul showing his fabrics and future collections. I loved hearing what inspires him.

We hugged, we laughed, and he personally pinned Duke’s jacket to get the perfect fit. Then he did the same for mine. I ended up buying a fantastic coat, and just when I thought the experience couldn’t get any better, I asked, "Paul, would you be open to signing the inside of my coat?"

And he did.

Next day: An extra treat.

Now, my dream navy coat is not just something I love—it’s hand-signed in marker by Paul Smith himself. And of course, Duke got his signed too.

After visiting all the floors, Paul wanted to show us his roof. It was lovely—a great view and an unusually sunny day. Duke was holding a special box that Sir Paul signed, so he could bring it back to New York.

My hubby and Sir Paul on his roof- so cute!

Lots of silliness and playfulness. Plus so many stories told. Here is Duke’s girlfriend Caroline who loved every minute of it.

Loved visiting the men’s shoe floor.

We ended the day at one of our two favorite London restaurants. Always on my list, Scott’s. No one makes Dover Sole like this.

To cap off what had already been an incredible few days in London, we ended our trip at Scott’s, one of our all-time favorite restaurants. They make the most amazing martinis, the best Dover sole, and honestly, anything you order is perfect. It’s quintessentially London, and I never visit the city without stopping there.

Overall, can’t wait to go back. Always great seeing you, Sir Paul.

Xx

Bobbi