Pitti Uomo is not just superfluous peacocks posing at the plaza of Fortezza da Basso. In fact it is much more than that. Among the guys who participate to the fair there are still bunch of most well-dressed men who continue to uphold the simple, effortless elegance and authentic style.
To continue the short reports from Florence I decided to pick few shots featuring outfits I personally wanted to highlight as "best of Pitti Uomo 91" in terms of street style. And I also wrote a few thoughts about the people and different styles you see at Pitti Uomo
Me on the first day of the fair. Shot by Robert Spangle for British GQ.
Classic menswear vs. fashionable streetstyle
As it has been said earlier Florence is not anymore just about tweeds, brogues and Italian elegance. But more and more it seems to be about denim, sneakers and hoodies. I personally think that there is room for both - classic tailoring and modern street wear. But if you happen to walk in the area of Fortezza you can see that the people and the area are quite strongly divided based on style. This season again I will leave the more fashion-forward ensembles and street style-attires to someone else to judge. Instead I have picked some of my personal favorites representing outfits and style I personally appreciate and that was seen in Florence.
Neapolitan style at its best. Classic double-breasted suits with wide lapels combined with white shirts and simple small tie knots.
Pitt Uomo peacocks versus simple elegance
The crowd you see at Pitti Uomo is not homogeneous at all. As already mentioned, you can see guys representing highly variable scale of styles. In addtion there are also variations to the reasons why people come to Pitti Uomo. And during the last years the fair has become more like an event for people to show their faces. This raises a lot of debate.
Polish bespoke tailor Maciej Zaremba in his gray prince of wales check suit. One way to fight the cold weather is layers - the gray cardigan here is a great match for the suit.
There are a lot guys who try to get their fifteen minutes of fame and glory. They come to Pitti dressed as peacocks wearing feathers on theirs hats and featuring bright red suits or flashy accessories. And they want to get photographed by the street style shooters. But these guys are not all that Pitti Uomo has to offer. But I have to admit that Pitti Uomo has changed a lot during those ten seasons I haven participated. And at the same time that the amount of peacocks has multiplied, for me the fair has become more about business and meeting people than checking out the new collections or trying to find my place among those people trying to get themselves photographed.
Ambrosi Salvatore is wearing a checked navy raglan wool coat with belt.
Always dress-up for yourself
In terms of guys belonging to the group I described above, one questions comes into my mind. It is a question that I have discussed with many guys during the fair. Do those guys really dress-up like that in their everyday life? Or do they just wear those clothes to be noticed. Unfortunately the answer might be the latter.
Joona of Herrainpukimo showcasing how to keep it simple and clean. A checked sport coat made of Loro Piana wool, white button-down shirt and brown tie. Navy blue suit with a light brown roll neck sweater - casual yet elegant and chic. Joona also wearing the DLA symposium pocket square.
As most of you know, I value and appreciate simple style and restrained combinations. Of course I can appreaciate bold colors or outfits as well, when they are executed with style. I do wear white and red casentino coats myself for example. But the combinations I have picked here to feature are all very simple yet sophisticated. They all represent the kind of DLA way of dressing up. They all feature the corner stones of DLA style - simplicity, adaptability and personality. And most of all all of the combinations look like they are the everyday outfits of these gentlemen.
Shades of brown and gray always works. Mr Gabriel Cohen and Aleks Jovanovic of blog Aleksjj.com sporting earthy tone shades and classy combinations.
It does not get more classic than this. Alex Pirounis wearing a grey herringbone overcoat with a double-breasted chalk stripe suit. Swedish gentlemen from Rose&Born and Spiga3 going for the shades of blue. Keep it simple and you really can't miss.
From dressed-up styles to casual chic
For a while now there has been a certain trend in men's clothing and especially in #menswear. That trend is casualness. Or to be more exact, mixing classic tailoring with casual elements. And I am not only talking about wearing sneakers with suit but more about chunky knitwear, suede jackets and other more casual outerwear. Or on the other hand wearing three piece suit in a one day and American workwear on another. In my opinion there are a couple of guys who have been taking this trend forward. One of them is Alessandro Squarzi.
Alessandro Squarzi with Luca Rubinacci. Both combining elements of classic tailoring and more casual clothing sucs as the raglan coat and chunky roll neck sweater.
Squarzi is a guy who seamlessly combines casual clothing with classic tailoring together. And by doing so he has created himself very personal and inspirational style. He has also shown that you don't need to keep fighting tooth and nail to catch one particular look or style. Instead you can easily wear a business suit and a tie one day and a pair of distressed denim and casual suede jacket on the next. And again during the Pitti Uomo fair you could see him daily flawlessly pulling off his outfits.
Maxim Lundh sporting his brown suede La Stoffa jacket and shades of brown, gray and blue. This was one of the best ensembles seen during the week in my opinion.
Dressed-up casual
I persolly like this way of dressing up and building up your style. I like to wear my suits and sport coats at work but I also love to go for more casual ensembles every now and then. And mixing these two sides of different styles also wideness your perspective. And it helps you to evolve your own style.
And finally, as you can see from these pictures, the key and secret of those most best dressed men is simple. Those guys do not wear clothing that draws attention or strikes observers as flamboyant; they wear clothes that are just simply well put together.
An example of how to combine casual M65 field with sport coat and light colored cotton trousers by Italian Marco Zambaldo. Pictures courtesy of:
- Christian Vierig/Getty Images
- Andreas Klow / styleforum.net
- Streetper.com
- GQ Russia
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