MR’s William Kissel reports from the Pitti Uomo trade show in Florence, Italy. For a complete wrap up of the Italian menswear season, see our upcoming August issue.
With the economy threatening to break their spirits, as well as their bank accounts, menswear manufacturers went to this season’s Pitti Uomo trade fair in Florence touting whimsical bags made of kangaroo, crocodile and other exotic skins. Most of those bags were filled with some of the most creative clothing 
ideas in a decade. In fact, few showing here were not inclined to offer a new fabric innovation, fanciful detailing, updated shapes, or simply a new way to work an old favorite in order to entice buyers onto their stands.
Suits, sport coats and knitwear were the most widely reinterpreted, primarily because vendors came here knowing that retailers need to sell five pairs of jeans to equal the margins they get for selling just one suit. New uses for old materials were equally at play. Among the standouts at this year’s Pitti were Silvano Lattanzi’s footwear built out of straw (the same kind used to make Panama hats), Allegri’s take on trench coats cut from genuine parachute material (pictured, left), and Finamore’s dress shirts constructed out of cotton woven on silk machines. One maker, Corneliani, even showed mood sensitive knitwear in which the color changes with the body’s temperature.
Share / Print
Related Posts
No related posts.
Loading ...
