Still not sure you'd wear a trouser suit? Allow Paul Smith and Giorgio Armani to change your mind

One was a couture collection, brim full of six figure outfits. The other was Paul Smith, a label whose jackets can sometimes  be had for less than Joseph’s.

Like Armani Privé, Sir Paul is banking on tailored trouser suits being a strong attraction in 2018, despite the continued appeal of athleisure.

It’s a risky strategy, arguably, more so for Sir Paul, whose business, which he founded 40 years ago in Nottingham, has had a rocky year or two, challenged not just by the  headlong plunge into street wear, but by the way his business is structured.

But for my money, he should stick to his guns. There are hundreds of labels producing sweatshirts and “elevated” trackpants. Meanwhile, labels that can turn out a decently cut jacket at a good price- between £400-£600 are far rarer. Upmarket trouser suits designed not to crease, as his A Suit to Travel In, is ( in quick recovery, crease-resistant high-twist wool cloth too) are yet more scarce but definitely worth checking out.

And Sir Paul and his team do know their way around a jacket. Arguably this is the strongest part of his women’s wear offer. Single breasted, with a single low button, they had that slightly slouchy, oversized elegance off pat, perfect for wearing over shirts and sweaters.

There were dresses too, silky, bias-cut midis in bottle green or claret. They were pretty, but really, it was all about the suits, which Sir Paul, a dedicated suit wearer himself at 73, treated almost like a one-piece. In intense shades of teal, turquoise and brick red, they’re clearly designed to work in the same way that dresses do- practical, desk-til-dusk dressing that doesn’t require too much thought.

Paul Smith AW18

There were more options if you reached into the men’s collection, shown simultaneously on the catwalk - double breasted, one button, six buttons… .and in the same colourways. The joining of the men’s and women’s lines, the transfer to Paris couture week, the closure of some of his lesser lines in an attempt to streamline the company….this is not an unfamiliar strategy, as more and more brands attempt to make sense of the rapidly changing retail landscape and timeline. Confusing? For journalists and buyers perhaps. For the consumer, it’s all clothes.

The most fabulous couture gowns from the season so far

While Sir Paul showed winter 2018, Giorgio Armani presented his spring/summer 18 couture. Trousers used to be  infra dig in couture collections. Some designers still approach them with caution. Their clients just aren’t those kind of girls. But Armani’s famous for his, and he offered them here in every permutation, including fluid, silky red carpet versions.

When he’s not being tricksy, Armani’s jackets and trousers are still something to reckon with. Those sharp, slightly tilted shoulders, the aerodynamic curve of the front panels don’t necessarily make for a hold-the-front-page catwalk moment, but they’d look pretty damn amazing in real life.

Arguably, couture isn’t about real life, but Armani would beg to differ. Even his beaded gowns have a pragmatic, gracefulness that makes Hollywood royalty trust him for their biggest moments.

Will they go for his mismatched trouser suit option this awards season? Michelle Pfeiffer wore an Armani black tuxedo suit 28 years ago with lasting impact. And if ever there was an award season to give this toned down, sleek Armani trouser suit a go, this high-minded one is surely it. Isabelle Huppert, Marion Cotillard and Diane Kruger, none of them known for frivolity, were in the front row, clearly on the look out.

If they’re considering the mismatched evening trouser suit, perhaps we all should.