MAN FRIDAY HOW NOT TO BE A PEACOCK
Stylish showgoers are swapping the showboating for a minimal approach, says Stephen Doig
Florentine fashion has always been about posturing, but a new breed of Italian man is on the horizon.
If you happen to find yourself in Florence at two particular points in the year, you’ll be treated to a rather curious sight. You’d be hard pressed to find an unphotogenic building in the City of Lilies, but the brutalist Stazione Centrale in the middle of a clogged roundabout is one such edifice, which makes the sight of the migrating flocks of curious creatures walking past it en route to the nearby site of the biannual Pitti Uomo menswear trade show all the more eyecatching.
Pitti peacockery has been well documented
– that is the studiously done-up fellows who dress in ever-more opulent tailoring and are pictured, perhaps sipping an espresso, or shooting the breeze, in their full-on finery. But increasingly, it’s an aesthetic – particularly in the oppressive June heat this week – that’s painfully affected; suits in vivid hues and in rigid wools or crumpled linens, monkstrap shoes that don’t exactly exude Italian ease, stiff shifting and a full roster of cumbersome accessories. Quite something to see, but increasingly dated and “heavy”; those wool suits aren’t exactly breathable. A friend en route to the fair this week commented on the new vogue for “anti-peacock”, due to the degree of decorous faff that comes with Pitti showboating, with a more minimal approach gradually filtering in through the Prince of Wales checks and fiddly fedoras.
What’s clear from this year’s stylish showgoers is that it’s more about ease and a sense of fluid dynamism than it is about overly “done” tailoring; the modern Florentine fellow is more in favour of softer shapes and relaxed refinement. A proper Oxford shirt is fine for a corporate environment, but more modern interpretations focus on open-necked, camp-collar shirts or happy Hawaiian-print varieties; just the ticket for making a suit jacket more airy and fresh, and removed entirely from the office attire. Similarly, a host of gents this year opted for tops of a different ilk, with kimono or funnel necklines; again, it makes tailoring look up to the minute.
Jackets in general have moved on from the traditional blazer; with the style literate opting for a lightweight blouson in spring in lieu of a tailored jacket, still worn with smart trousers but a tad more freeing. And in place of heavy duty, formal shoes – hard leather Derbys or brogues with weighty soles – footwear has similarly embraced a more easy pace of life, with “dresspadrilles” (that is, the humble espadrille luxed up in suede or leather), slippers and elegant sandals. Leave the peacocks to preen; this new kind of Pitti minimalism is a different breed of rare bird entirely.