Solespun Reviews | Paul Smith Textured Artist Stripe

Paul Smith Textured Artist Stripe Sock

A little history first

The original signature stripe sock by Paul Smith has been a sock draw staple for as long as I can remember and is to this day one of the most popular sock offerings from the always relevant always progressive Paul Smith. The first was a black base with a multitude of coloured stripes in varying thickness colours and tones. This pattern is very much engrained in the Paul Smith brand being seen on most garments in some degree, interwoven in the design sometimes as simple as the clothes label. Other colourways were added, a blue then a grey base and the appeal of the striking design which somehow managed to both stand out and competent any outfit secured it as a Paul Smith staple.

Every year this style remains however its sibling has emerged as a natural companion, the Artist Stripe, Like the Signature Stripe you can see this pattern repeated throughout the Paul Smith collections.

Unlike the signature stripe the artist stripe evolves each year and in true seasonal style if you don’t pick one up when available it will unlikely come around again, as such they have become quite a collectors favourite. 

Texted artist stripe sock | Review

The Textured Artist stripe is a personal favourite for me so much so that I snapped a good few pairs as soon as they released! Available in two styles, the Textured Artist Stripe and the Classic Textured  Stripe, the former is very much an Artist Stripe sock with a slightly bolder use of colour and size, and the later is really playing homage to the original signature stripe in a more textured way of course.

So what makes the Textured stripe so different, well for one texture of course, knitted using no less than six different fibres each stripe is not only a different colour they are large different fibres and textures, perhaps the most stand out being the mohair which has the beautiful wispy loose hairs on show bathing in both the light and the imagination in equal abundant. The black stripes are a mix of wool and cashmere and are wonderfully soft.

The design as per Paul Smith is exquisitely executed, its worth noting that striped socks are abundant however very few designers have shown the visual intelligence that Paul has, steming from his ‘classic with a twist’ philosophy it's neither to much nor to little and in true Goldie locks fashion is always 'just right'.

The Textured Artist Stripe sock, a unique piece of wearable art created using some of the most wonderfull and luxurious fibres by one of our most beloved designers, I have mine, do you have yours?:)