2DM Blogazine

.

Pitti Uomo 81

The sun shone upon Florence during the 81st edition of Pitti Uomo Fall/Winter 2012-2013. Despite the economic climate that has engulfed the past few seasons, a bright optimism pervaded the renaissance city, which took stock of the men’s fashion just before the Milan fashion week (January 14 – 17). At the Fortezza da Basso, the 16th century fort which plays host to the best of ‘Made in Italy’ and international fashion, we joined the chorus of tastemakers who had all invaded the city for the same reason: to get a taste of the vanguard of men’s style in the new year.

Having precious little time to visit, we made sure to mark a few favourites on our map. In the central pavilion nestled in amongst numerous brands, we stopped at Jeckerson, where high colour trousers – all made with organic fabrics and low water vegetable dyes – seemed to fight against the monotony of a monochromatic look. Meanwhile on the ground floor, Manuel Ritz presented perfectly tailored jackets with bright details that looked both comfortable and versatile.

The retro style of Vintage 55 attracted our attention in the Cortile della Ghiaia, while the Lyceum – the area committed to the emerging metropolitan expressions of international creativity – gave us a look at the Parisian brand Bleu de Paname, which uses only French materials and Japanese denim to produce its sober yet original collections. A high standard of quality and functionality set apart Digel, the classic German label, with its clever “iSuit” featuring an integrated smartphone charger. Handy!

At the Arsenal, a vintage flavour dominated SOHO’s showcase, and the boxes housed the brilliantly made t-shirts of Japanese purveyor Riding High, the brand made in Japan devoted to crafts and simplicity as its “standmate” The Superior Labor.

Despite the fact that they were facing one another Swiss Chriss and Masons offered two totally different takes on style: the former was minimalist and high-style while the latter was set up as an old-fashioned food market with with real and fragrant cold cuts and vegetables. Next, in New Beat(s) we discovered colourful sneakers inspired by the silhouette of the desert boot from Denmark’s House of Montague, on their first outing ever at Pitti. In Urban Panorama, we met Uniform and its rockin’ vintage 80’s atmosphere, complete with its bold ‘U’ logo.

Last but not least, we had just enough time to get to the Sale della Ronda, the rooms whose pavilions were dedicated to ‘touch’ and everything visceral. The project collected pieces that marry traditional garments with unconventional and more contemporary approaches. Here we found Department Five and Peter Non that presented its collection of hand-made shoes enriched by wool tapestries created by designer Renata Bonfanti. We also came across the experimental and unique vision of London’s Savile Row b store, which draws inspiration from musical icons such as David Bowie and Joy Division. Also in this area we found Pedaled perfectly suited to active people, who live their lives in the open air.

Continuing its process of renewal process, Pitti Uomo 81 focused on high quality in craftsmanship and took no umbrage at paying more attention to the needs of the most demanding niche of customers. In this way, ‘made-to-measure’ and personalisation seem to be the key ideas menswear labels are using to fight conformism and homologation.

Our tour (de force) at Pitti came to an end a little too soon, but before leaving Florence we couldn’t miss the live Waterproof performance arranged by Pirelli. The event, to celebrate the Pirelli PZero raincoat, took place in the Tepidarium, a glass house from the late 19th century. The evocative scene included a rainbow of colourful balloons suspended over guests, tall mannequins dressed in PZero raincoats and huge umbrellas with video projections and bowlers – which recall men the style of Magritte’s men. Electronic music and excellent food accompanied a nice end to our time at Pitti.