12:04: paul smith

There was a lot of reasons for me to love Paul Smith. Sure, there was the occasional piece that made me go, "What the Katrantzou?" as it walked down the runway, but overall I am just consistently impressed by the man because he knows how to dress a business woman. The qualifier there, "business," is entirely necessary, as I am a woman in business. Meaning, I get dressed and go to work in a field that is high anxiety, and money is on the line, and the people are smart, and people shake hands, the expectations are high, and things move fast. It's a man's world of sorts, only because it is predominantly dominated by men, not because anyone is in doubt that I can play ball, too.

I balance my love of fashion with work appropriateness during business hours, so it's no wonder that Paul Smith always understands my needs. I felt a comfort watching these well dressed women walk down a runway and look like they've got a million dollar account contract nonchalantly tucked away in their super chic folio clutch. The berry colors to me are beautiful, but it's even more appealing to describe them as wine names instead, like merlot, Bordeaux, and even Shirazey — #imadeupthatword, and furthermore, #dealwithit.

Paul Smith knows the man's world, so it's more amazing to me how he translates those skills to a woman. The tailored pants are pretty much what a man would wear, except we get to have them in berry rich hues, and mix them with each other. The subtle sex appeal of a sheer sleeve and the playful addition of minty accessories adds up to a delightfully bright sartorial inspiration, even if my day is all meetings. I see myself kicking ass in outfits like these and I find that vision motivating and inspring. You can't argue with a beauty routine like what is displayed here either; clean, no frills hair, berry stained lips, a light shimmer on the inside corner of the eyes and you're done.