Pitti Uomo has always been considered the unofficial start of the menswear season and this edition brings together the international fashion audience in Florence. As a fixed point in the men’s fashion calendar, the men’s fashion fair combines presentation and staging like no other format, thereby setting the stylistic tone for upcoming collections and street style discourses early in the year. The summer edition regularly brings with it its own conditions, because Florence in June means one thing above all, intense heat.
This year the temperatures rose again to over 35 degrees, but the audience was unimpressed. Away from the exhibition areas, it became clear that style and summer heat do not have to be mutually exclusive.
Seventies flair
Wide trousers with flared legs, wide lapels, open collars and fabrics in creamy white, mustard yellow and deep navy blue: at this year’s Pitti Uomo, the influence of the 1970s was clearly noticeable on the exhibition grounds. The borrowings seemed less like conscious retro references, but rather fit naturally into current proportions and combinations.
For example, you could see a cream-colored double-breasted suit with an open shirt and wide lapels paired with flared trousers or a mustard-yellow linen suit, complemented by a shopper in a zigzag pattern. A must-have was unbuttoned shirt collars, which were worn over the lapels of the suits. Overall, the silhouettes were reminiscent of the relaxed elegance of the decade without falling into excessive nostalgia.
Extra sunshine
Yellow was not just an isolated accent at this year’s Pitti Uomo, but rather a recurring color theme. From deep mustard yellow tones to light pastel shades, the color was represented in different intensities and combinations. The color was conceivable as a complete linen suit, but also as a striped camp shirt over or as a pale yellow jacket with a white T-shirt.
Legroom
Pitti Uomo is still considered one of the most traditional and specialized events in tailoring, especially when it comes to street style. But this year the heat gave new impetus and made shorts the unofficial dress code.
Only a few visitors went directly to jorts or even classic sports shorts. Rather, the shorts were mainly worn in combination with structured tops, such as a linen jacket with dark shorts, a chore coat over shorts combined with white socks and sandals, or a patterned linen suit in a Bermuda-length matching set.
Denim defies heat
Even in summer temperatures, denim-on-denim was a recurring image at this year’s Pitti Uomo. The monochrome look was often combined with accessories that provided variety.
Items featured included a burgundy horse-themed tie over a denim shirt and a denim jacket with a patterned tie and several pins on the lapel. A visitor’s red pillbox hat also provided a clear color accent against the continuous blue.
You have everything with you
In addition to clothing and shoes, bags also came to the fore this season as an independent style item for men. The selection ranged from a patinated leather document bag with a carefully rolled “Gazzetta dello Sport” emblazoned on it, to a printed cotton shopper, to a generously sized, cognac-colored leather bag that offered enough space to be prepared for any eventuality.