Last night, Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet previewed at Islington's Sadler's Wells Theatre, where it will run until 13 July 2025. The production is adapted from The Who’s 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia, written by the band’s Pete Townshend, which inspired the cult 1979 film.
This is far from a traditional ballet. There were no tutus or tights – no sweeping scores by Tchaikovsky or Prokofiev. Instead, the performance featured offbeat choreography by Paul Roberts, a dynamic orchestral arrangement by Rachel Fuller and Martin Batchelar, and costume design by Paul Smith.
Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet tells the story of Jimmy, a disillusioned mod wrestling with various facets of his identity, set against the backdrop of the famed mods versus rockers feud – a rivalry as emotionally charged as any in Romeo and Juliet or West Side Story.
Visually, the production is an exuberant showcase of mod style – the parka is a recurring symbol, discarded (spoilers ahead) when a tormented Jimmy attempts to take his own life, and taken up once again when he changes his mind. Elsewhere, there are polos, RAF target motifs and, of course, sharp tailoring: slim-fitting, narrow-lapelled, cigarette-silhouette suits in bold colours and patterns. In short, it was a stage tailor-made for Paul Smith.
Known for his crisp cuts, colourful linings and playful detailing, the eponymous founder of the brand, now 78, began his career in the late-1960s as a tailor, dressing actual mods in suits not unlike the ones seen in the production.
For Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet, Smith created era-appropriate tonic suits in a subtle check. The eagle-eyed will also notice a stone-coloured raincoat lifted straight from Paul Smith’s A/W 2024 collection worn by one of the cast.
But this wasn’t simply a case of nostalgic styling. The costumes had to allow for full range of movement – not something that tailoring typically accommodates. The Paul Smith team responded with smart adaptations like articulated sleeve gussets and specially cut trousers. Each suit was custom-made for its dancer, ensuring that style never came at the expense of performance.
As far as costume collaborations go, this Mod ballet and Paul Smith are a natural fit.
Get tickets here
-
The furniture for the new Studio Museum in Harlem tells a story of its ownFurnishings at the new purpose-built home for New York’s Studio Museum in Harlem sit in harmony with its mission as an uplifting platform for artists of African descent
-
A new show at Edinburgh gallery Bard celebrates the everyday poetry of craft through the optimism of a hardware shopOpening at Scottish gallery Bard, Bardware celebrates craft with the 'robust joy of a hardware shop'
-
Kiko Kostadinov’s one-off London runway show was inspired by the designers’ Lakeland terrier, DanteTaking place in the brand’s new east London headquarters on Friday, the co-ed show saw designers Kiko Kostadinov and Laura and Deanna Fanning use the dog’s northern origins to inspire a collection which drew on the British countryside
-
Inside Paul Smith’s magical Christmas takeover of London’s Royal Opera HousePaul Smith has conceived the Christmas tree for fellow Covent Garden institution the Royal Opera House as a ‘peek behind the curtains’, with decorations inspired by a theatre’s backstage
-
‘Paul Smith loves Barbour’ sees two very British institutions unite on a countryside-inspired collectionThe collaborative collection, inspired by British country fairs, sees the Barbour signature wax jacket get the colourful Paul Smith spin
-
Paul Smith on his ‘lovely and simple’ Milan Fashion Week debut, which has been decades in the makingWallpaper* caught up with Paul Smith ahead of his travel-inspired S/S 2026 menswear show, held in his Milanese HQ as an expression of his longstanding love of Italy
-
Trompe l’oeil, transparency, spiralling silhouettes: these looks capture S/S 2025’s definitive trendsFrom baring arms in oversized gilets to defying gravity in strikingly structured dresses, the S/S 2025 collections encapsulated in 12 distinctive looks and accessories
-
Revisiting Giorgio Armani’s career-spanning conversation with Paul Smith, part of his guest editorship of Wallpaper*Following the death of Italian designer Giorgio Armani, we look back to the October 2022 issue of Wallpaper*, where the then-guest editor sat down with British designer Paul Smith to discuss his extraordinary career and enduring design principles
-
Paris Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2022: Louis Vuitton to Loewe, Dior to HermèsIn this extended report, Laura Hawkins reveals 9 highlights from Paris Fashion Week Men's A/W 2022. Including: Virgil Abloh's final collection for Louis Vuitton; Rick Owen's riff on sleaze; elfin-inspired accessories; and a celebration of slouch and surrealism
-
Paris Fashion Week A/W 2021: discotheque chic to apres-ski sleek -
Paul Smith A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Men's
