Attending Pitti Uomo 87 is the highlight of my blogging career and I couldn’t be more impressed: 97% of the people you see inside or outside the Fiera, are amazingly well dressed. There couldn’t be a better location to host such an amazing event than Florence, in the heart of Italy, as it really seemed to me that the Italians have the style in their blood or it might be their nonchalant attitude that can make almost any outfit look better.
The most amazing experience from Pitti Uomo 87 was the interview with the street style icon Nick Wooster (we will have an article about it on the blog soon), while admiring his second collection with Lardini. I must be honest: I was pretty nervous, but you cannot say “no” to such an opportunity if you are serious about what you do and about building the brand Male Extravaganza. I am very fortunate that my girlfriend (and the co-owner of this blog), Roswitha, is always supporting me and makes me stay on track when I doubt myself!
See also: Best Street Style Photos from Pitti Uomo 87
Most Important Trends Seen at Pitti Uomo 87
If, after New York Fashion Week experience, I could have easily said that “I’ve seen them all”, Pitti left a different taste and, on the 4th day, I actually felt like I was just getting started! Let’s dig in and see for yourself what I am talking about. Grab a glass of wine because you are about to be impressed!
1. SHOW OFF YOUR SOCKS
There’s no better place to show off your playful socks that Pitti. It is actually wise to do so, as you’ll attract more cameras. Probably 3 out of 5 men were wearing their pants tucked up so you can see their awesome socks, and the other 2 were wearing boots, but my guess is they used the trend as well.
See also: How to Wear Your Socks [Guide]
During my stay there and from countless researching on Pinterest for the hashtag #pittiuomo87, I’ve discovered two important rules that you can take away from this article:
- Match your socks with your: tie, blazer, scarf, umbrella, hat or gloves. NEVER with your pants! If you do though, make sure the socks at least have some dots on them so they don’t look too boring!
- You don’t always have to match your socks with your outfit. Use a color that both, stands out and it’s not used anywhere else in your outfit! Be careful though, if you’ve already used 3 colors in your outfit a 4th one might break your outfit!
2. HATS. PLAIN AND COLORFUL. HATS.
I’ve seen hats of many sizes and colors, but one thing they all had in common was the confidence of the one who wore it! With the right attitude, a hat can make you look like a gentleman, be respected and a colorful one will definitely make you stand out!
One the other hand, if you don’t feel confident enough to incorporate one in your outfit, people will notice that the hat is actually wearing you. So instead of feeling successful and respected, you will end up feeling awkward and poor.
PRO TIP: we all tend to feel a little uncomfortable when we try on new clothes or styles, but that doesn’t have to last forever. What I like to do is wear the garment, in this case the hat, a few days inside the house, this way I get used to how it feels on me. Try this next time and see how you feel!
3. GLOVES IN YOUR POCKET!
During our stay at Pitti, the weather was wonderful, around 5 to 15 Celsius, which is great for this time of the year, considering the mountains area around Florence. Some would have said it is useless to pack gloves, but not the creative gentlemen that used their gloves to accessorize the suit or overcoat.
This could easily be the most interesting but wise trend I’ve ever seen. Make sure they match either your vest, tie, shoes or even the buttons on your suit/coat.
4. BIG SCARVES EVERYWHERE
First two days were pretty though with short showers during the day, so everyone got their scarves out. Even though, I am not a big fan of anything big (only a bank account! Haha), I must say I was very impressed by how well these guys knew how to style their scarves with the outfit.
One thing I have noticed: if you wear a big scarf, you cannot show off your gloves as well. Might be too much, so chose wisely!
5. TIES ARE TRENDING. PERIOD.
Here I have to give credit to our Editor, Sebastian, when he said “Mihai, you have to wear a tie at Pitti”. I took his advice and out of 4 outfits, one only of them was “bow tie oriented” – and I am glad I did.
Without exaggeration, out of thousands of people that I have seen at Pitti Uomo 87, only probably less than 10 wore a bow tie. Two other trends I can confirm here: the woolen ties are still trending and the paisley trend is growing!
6. GO FOR ROUND SUNGLASSES!
Seeing so many people wearing round glasses made me feel good and bad at the same time. Good because it actually confirmed me that I made a great investment this Summer in a pair of round Ray-Bans. But also bad because I like to stand out and, with this being an evolving trend, I am pretty sure everyone will have a pair of round sunglasses by Summer ’15.
You have to admit they look incredibly cool and if I did not own a pair, I’d say it is a must-have accessory (haha). If you decide to purchase a pair, please invest in an quality pair, don’t go for the ones that are $10. I also recommend you get the polarized model, if available!
7. USE VESTS WHEN LAYERING!
I wouldn’t say everyone had a vest, but I am pretty sure 4 out of 5 people wore a vest at some point during their stay at Pitti Uomo, including me. Don’t know what is about them, but they can make a man look so dapper and, if you ask me, makes the tie stand out in a not-so-obvious way.
See also: How To Wear a Printed Blazer
From what I’ve seen, it is wise to wear a vest that is the same color as the blazer/coat even if it’s a different nuance. Experts wear double-breasted vests! I have also seen good-looking layering done by using a cardigan under a blazer or coat. Well done, gentlemen!
8. WEAR YOUR COAT LIKE AN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
At one point it was said that only Editors-in-Chief wear their coats like that and if it’s still true, there were a lot of them at Pitti this year! Why wear your coat like that? Because it gives you a more relaxed look while still looking dapper!
See also: Outerwear Trends for AW15
Even if it looks amazing, you cannot wear it if it’s freezing outside. A pattern that I’ve noticed is: if your suit/blazer is stripped/checked/floral etc., your coat has to be plain, and it goes the other way around as well! Even if it sounds obvious for most of you, some men need to hear this several times before they understand.
Again, you might want to get used to wearing your coat like this in private before you go out!
Other Mentionable Trends at Pitti Uomo 87
Brown shoes and bracelets were seen a lot at Pitti, especially wearing your bracelets and watch on the same hand. As for the brown shoes, everything from brogues, monk straps, tassel shoes, boots and slippers.
Another trend that was easily to spot (or smell) was smoking and I am not kidding you when I say that everyone is smoking! I am a positive guy and I’d like to think that some of those cigars were just part of the picture some of the men were trying to create, but it’s still very annoying.
Conclusion
There is no better way to conclude this article than suggesting you to save this article for later so you have quick access when you go shopping. Two important things to keep in mind:
- do not try to wear all the 8 trends at the same time, it will make you look funny;
- do not wear anything that does not reflect your personality just because it’s “#trending”. Stay true to yourself because, as Nick said in our interview, “Repetition builds reputation!”.
If you are truly passionate about fashion & style, Pitti Uomo should definitely be on your bucket list, as it will be on my calendar for many years to come.
Photos found on: Style.com/Tommy-ton, highsnobiety.com, gq-magazine.co.uk
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