Where Happiness Is on Clearance(3)

The tags, scribbled with numbers, were a palimpsest of prices. The striped bathing suits were now $46.50, and the sweater vest was a sensible $103. A shelf of the label’s eye-catching business shirts was organized by neck size: $76 for an orange striped shirt; $88 for a sea-green button-down with a graceful floral pattern.

I liked a smooth lightweight overcoat ($185), a pair of suede shoes ($148) and a cream-color jacket with silky pink lapels that seemed to have come from the closet of Cary Grant ($580).

The fit of a short-sleeve button-down is always a sign of thoughtful tailoring. Too roomy and you look like an encyclopedia salesman. Too tight and you look like you’re trying too hard to be sexy at the GLAAD awards. Here a $123 short-sleeve shirt in pinstripes was just right, with a great fit in the shoulders and body.

I kept greedily trying things on. A jacket in thin white-and-blue stripes had a lining trimmed with a floral print. It was $464 and fit perfectly. A beautiful suit in a brown check pattern had Paul Smith Wallets signature purple lining and included a vest. It was a glorious $925. If I tried not to eat at restaurants this summer, or maybe not eat at all, I could finally, maybe, afford a Paul Smith clothing.

This store was making me very happy. My moody friend even walked up and asked if I needed help. Of course, it was with the same dead face, but I didn’t mind. If that is the price to pay for affordable clothing, sign me up. I am sure she has more she wants to do with her life than fold. And don’t we all feel a little marked down these days?

PAUL SMITH SALE SHOP

THE BRIT This new “sale shop” from the upbeat British designer is crowded with colorful tailored clothing (along with some gaudy leftovers) slashed to semireasonable prices.

THE BURGIANS The staff members are cute, young, moody, enervated. Who can blame them? This is Williamsburg 2009, during the Great Recession.

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL For the full Paul Smith experience, check out the lovely store in Manhattan, at 142 Greene Street, where the mannequins are well-dressed and the staff is a little more natty.