Image by Tommy Ton via Boy By Julia’s Styleutopia
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week has just ended in Sydney. Not that it made the slightest difference to you, if you even noticed it was on.
Men certainly get the shorter end of the stick when it comes to fashion shows. Yes, we might prefer to watch the footy, and ok, watching an endless parade of long legs on the runway is hardly torture. But neither are likely to inspire our wardrobes for our weddings or just for next season.
Thankfully male fashionistas are catered for more generously in the world’s leading fashion capitals, with London, Paris and New York hosting dedicated men’s fashion weeks. Italy is also a highlight on the calendar, but for men the place to be seen at is not industrial Milan; that’s for the ladies. Instead we get to head to the beautiful Tuscan capital of Florence, for Pitti Uomo, the men’s fashion event you need to know about. Here’s the drop:
1: Pitti Uomo is run by Pitti Immagine, an Italian organisation that has been running some of the most important fashion events in the world since the 1950s. Pitti Uomo started in 1972 and is one of the eight events held in Pitti Immagine’s home of Florence.
2: Pitti Uomo is held twice a year, in January and June, amidst Florence’s amazing Renaissance architecture. The main show is held in the Fortezza de Basso (the Fortress Of St John The Baptist), a military fort dating back to the fourteenth century. Nice.
3: Ok, enough history. What’s really putting Pitti Uomo on the map is not what’s happening inside the fort; it’s what’s happening outside. As with the Oscars or any red carpet event the real attention is on what’s being worn by the attendees. Street style spotting is now a worldwide religion thanks to The Sartorialist, and Pitti Uomo is its Mecca. The buyers and opinion formers in attendance are some of the most dapper dressers in the world and the media, including the likes of GQ, Esquire and Mr Porter, rock up in force with iPhones and cameras at the ready to document “what they wore”, and thus predict the trends for the season.
4: One of the recent byproducts of Pitti Uomo is ”Lunch For 25”, an event organised by Mr Scott Schulman, The Sartorialist himself. The premise is simple: gather twenty-five of the world’s most stylish and influential gentlemen to break bread and share stories over a long, casual lunch of humble Italian fare. It’s a simple but marvellous idea that really addresses why we should want to look stylish in the first place: to feel good and make an impression when meeting up with old friends and making new ones. Now in its third edition, the lunch has become a highlight of Pitti Uomo.
The first lunch was held in Jan 2012 and featured some of The Sartorialist’s most familiar faces including Mr Lino Ieluzzi, Mr Simone Righi, the ubiquitous Mr Nick Wooster, and a celebrity in the form of Mr Kanye West.
The second event was a dinner graced by the presence of Mr John Malkovitch.
And here’s the most recent event where the gents, many of whom are now firm friends, celebrated their gathering in the best form possible: a singalong.
I find it interesting that many of the guests are in their more “distinguished” years, and that’s a testament to how style transcends age. Nevertheless Schulman deserves congratulations for prioritising style over the more marketable youth angle. I’ve seen these clips many times and they never cease to fill me with hope and inspiration that in my later years I might also be enjoying life’s simple pleasures with my friends whilst looking almost half as stylish as these gents.
About Milton Gan Photography: Milton Gan combines his artistic flair, eye for detail, and passions for love, style and elegance to create a finely crafted photographic experience for each and every one of his clients.
Milton writes regularly for Polka Dot Groom as well as being a ridiculously talented wedding photographer. You can read his previous posts here.
