Pitti Uomo 2012 – Impressions, DOs and DON’Ts

by Sven Raphael Schneider on January 15, 2012 in Accessories, Clothing, Events, Fabric, Fall, Hats, Jackets, Miscellaneous, Our Best Articles, Outfits, Pocket Square, Suits, Sweaters & Cardigans, Tie & Bow Tie, Waistcoats, Wardrobe, Winter

Pitti Uomo 2012

© Tommy Ton for GQ

The Pitti Imagine Uomo in Florence is not just one of the largest menswear trade shows in the world, but in the last decade it has more and more become an event for spectators, and a real-life catwalk where men ranging from dandesque to rugged luxury try to standout from the crowd. As you can imagine, you can find outfits of any nuance: overdone, inspirational, classic, avantgarde, rugged etc.

Once again, Tommy Ton took a number of pictures for GQ, which are excellent to outline do’s and don’ts. In addition we have some pictures from Esquire’s Nick Sullivan and from exclusive Firenze.

As always with such lists, it is a subjective selection of noteworthy things and my views on style or my understanding of elegance is by no means absolute but much rather classic.

Tartan Vest

Tartan Vest

Mid-grey single breasted suit with very high gorge and a loud tartan vest. In order to make it work, he chose a very subtle plain shirt and tie. Sunglasses and hair cut are not my favorite but overall well done.

Vest And Belts

Vest and Belt

Generally, it is advisable not to wear vests of any kind with belts because the belt adds another layer to the waistband, creating a gap between the trousers and the vest. Also, you will probably see the belt – like in this picture – and it simply destroys the silhouette and looks a bit sloppy.

Vest and Belt - Intentional

In this case, Nick Wooster intentionally left his two bottom waistcoat buttons undone in order to show his belt. Not my style but he clearly thought about it and broke the rule intentionally.

Too Many Patterns

Too much

This chap wears a very unique double breasted chalk stripe suit with a very wide stripe. On top of that, he tries to wear a bold plaid and a paisley tie and something red in his boutonniere. Although the color palette is not overwhelming, it just looks confusing. A plain overcoat would have been preferable in my opinion.

Pattern Overlaod

Here is another example of too many patterns.

Tie Too Long

Tie too long

The gentleman in the left is rather tall compared to the person on the right, though I think his tie is just too long. You will read in many books that a tie has the ideal length if the tip touches the belt buckle. In my opinion, this rule is neither very helpful nor does it make sense because the position of the belt buckle depends on the rise. So, with high rise trousers the tie would be much shorter than with low rise pants. However, the length of the tie depends on personal preference and often fashion. In the 1930′s ties were much shorter than most men wear them today. The blue tie could be a tad shorter for my taste because this person is rather short, but it is better than the one on the left.

The Blazer

A classic blazer in navy and light blue stripes with a very short, almost Edwardian lapel. A great revival of a classic garment!

Soft Outfit

Soft Outfit

Just the other day, we talked about hard and soft clothing. This person here wears a very soft combination with retro sunglasses and a shawl collar cardigan in green. The fit is not spot on but I think the outfit is good regardless.

The Avantgarde Shooting Jacket

Shooting Jacket Extraordinaire

This is a very fashion forward jacket that was obviously inspired by a shooting jacket. Personally, I am not sure if the leather arm pads improve the overall look of the jacket but it is certainly innovative. The combination of unbuttoned sleeve button and glasses in the breast pocket may look like nonchalant sprezzatura for some, though in my opinion it evokes quite the opposite effect: it looks like he tried too hard to look relaxed and as a consequence he is anything but that.

Lunch For 25

Sartorialist, Lino, Barbera, Ricci etc by Yfrog

Picture of the Lunch For 25 at Pitti Uomo. It was organized bythe Sartorialist Scott Schumann, and was supposed to bring together 25 of his most important style characters so they could get to know each other better. In the picture, you can see Mr. Barbera, Mr. Rubinacci, Mr. Ricci, Lino From Al Bazaar among others… Make sure not to miss the Lunch for 25 Video.

Matchy Matchy

Matchy Matchy

This group looks like a delegation at the Olympic games – not my cup of tea.

Hats

Classic Hats

Justin Doss with green hat

It seems like there were quite a number of men wearing hats at Pitti Uomo this year. I doubt we will ever see as many hats as in the early 1920′s but I think it is a fantastic development. The collar is only gapping because of the way Mr. Doss carries his bag – at least I hope so. In any case, it’s an outstanding hat.

Tennis Sweater

Cashmere Linen Sweater via tumblr

What a great variation of the classic tennis sweater – I want one!

We’ll continue with another series of Pitti Uomo pictures shortly, so stay tuned. What do you think about the outfits presented here? Do you disagree with me?  Would you wear some of the things shown? Leave a comment below, send me an email or comment on facebook - I look forward to learning what your thoughts may be.

Tags: Blazer, cardigan, Hat, Pitti Uomo, Shooting Jacket, Street Style, Tennis Sweater, Tommy Ton, vest Print article