Pitti Uomo Firenze - the Spectacular composition of men’s elegance or the shortcut to the belief that the modern man is a Dandy

Urban vagabonds and bizarre outcasts

What is Pitti Uomo?
A large and magnificent manifestation of men’s fashion exhibitionism without any holdbacks, blowing like a bottle of champagne and held in the historical center of Florence, Italy, where exhibitors carefully present their latest men’s collections. The latest men’s fashion trends are marked there, before the upcoming fashion events in Milan. At Pitti Uomo Firenze 2017 are invited buyers, fashion professionals and bloggers, ready to shine with their outlooks, which are mainly bizarre and ultimate. We should note that this event is characterized with more class and elegance than those held in Milan and participants prefer wearing well-considered funeral suits in memorial of the great Italian sartorial tradition, combined with accessories, which bring coolness in 35-degree heat. This year I was surprised to meet there even Suzy Menkes, who even greeted me and I have no idea who she thought I was… Actually I looked like a character from Magritte’s paintings, because what is fashion if not a reminder about art? A vain masquerade…

Those, who plan participation in Pitti Uomo, know perfectly well, that they should choose a special wardrobe to turn themselves in real macaronic dandies and attract a number of photographer’s lenses. And here comes the risk. This year’s edition was held under the title ‘The modern man is a dandy’ and presence of all fashion peacocks confirmed this with a single exception – the race to be noticed, dressed in rare colors, made the outlooks too similar and that was my chance to shine in head-to-toes black-and-white set, looking like a raven among all the colorful foppish monomaniacs.

At the 92nd edition of the event, held in June 2017, men definitely preferred suits in provocative pastel colors, like sky blue, electric green, intrusive red, yellow, sorbet, starch pink and violet, while some chose shades like raw cocoa and mouse beige-gray. You could also see a variety of glaring wide stripes, like prisoner’s uniforms from Hollywood movies, showing the vain men’s passion for some sort of operetta buffoonery. The cardigan triumphed in its most sophisticated version – double-breasted with extraordinary revers, which turned this part of a men’s suit in some sort of Summer jacket. Trousers are skinny and ankle-length, combined with socks in strange patterns or worn barefoot.

The pretentions cuffed shorts suit confirms its positions in total negation of the despotic rule that a gentlemen could wear shorts only on the beach. For the second day of the exhibition, I chose a similar option in graphite gray strips by Gioberti. It was matched with black ? cocks, a black bow-tie, a bowler hat and a light yellow walking stick with a silver duck head. My Boutonni?re was decorated with an Orchid in light pink on the background of many artificial flowers. Having in mind the abundance of printed pants, for a dinner party I chose a floral suit pajama in deep pink with a ribbon in light pink, worn under a hybrid tuxedo by Tombolini.

Accessories worn during the Pitti Uomo 92 were also beautiful - boutonni?res, tie-pins, brooches in the shape of all sorts of insects, medals, chaplets and even pearl necklaces. Excluding mine, I saw only one walking stick with a silver holder. I saw an eccentric gentlemen with straw hat and bow-tie. Representatives of the popular web-site The Dandy Portraits were also there. They looked like frozen into the XIX century and were very embarrassed by my competitive styling. White and Straw fedora hats; pocket squares and drapery in bright colors; cravats and bow-ties in strange patterns and many amulet bracelets, were also among the highlights of the accessories. The last is a clich? from at least three years.
Watches were with leather straps, glasses were specular with round or square frames or in two different shapes. Long beards have been trendy for too long, as well as Heidelberg mustaches and slight neglect keep giving a man a lighter look of an urban vagabond and bizarre outcast. Dress slippers with blazons are still irreplaceable. Hats had feathers. Pajamas were chosen by the bravest gentlemen.

The Mabro’s party – held in La Loggia club, Florence - stood out among the others. It celebrated the purchase of the brand by the most modern European factory for made-to-measure men’s suits RICHMART. By the way do you like prosciutto e melone? I am going to order a suit exactly in these colors for the next exhibition! Prima!

Photos © @beglobalfashion