Pitti Uomo is the menswear event of the year.  Its the time when fashion designers come out and show off their latest designs and styles to store owners.  As a result, some of the most well dressed men from around the world come and stand around smoking and eating, getting pictures taken of them.  Even though I couldn’t be in Florence with them, I still dressed up to be apart of it.

When dressing for Pitti Uomo, you have to dress distinctively.  Fashion is all about standing out and being yourself.  When looking at pictures, you’ll see so many combinations of styles.  You’ll see classic Italian style, with shirts only buttoned to the bottom of your chest or white pants.  You’ll even see sprezzatura, with neck ties in varying length.  Above all, you’ll see men who want to stand out.  I decided to do the same with my two outfits.

1.  Hipster Pitti Style 

One particular way to stand out is to have color.  We’ve shown white pants before, but here I decided to wear burgundy pants. However, the real pop is in the neck tie.  It’s a floral print neck tie from Bull & Moose.  I definitely recommend them if you’re going to look for ties with personality.  The trick to pulling them off is to wear neutral colors every where else.  I finished off the outfit with a nice khaki blazer, ensuring the only real colours were in the tie and pants.

Don’t forget to go for the sockless look!  It’s not only limited to loafers and boat shoes.

Khaki Blazer from Zara, Oxford Shirt from H&M, Floral Tie from Bull+Moose

Burgundy pants from Uniqlo, Vintage Spectator Shoes

2.  Conservative Pitti Style

Window pane is one of my favourite patterns to wear.  In fact, the panes on this blazer are much more prominent than the ones in the previous post.  I call this conservative because it has a lot of grey.  Even though the blazer and trousers are grey, there are subtle differences.  The jacket is much more wooly and has the pane, while the pants are smooth and have a micro pinstripe pattern.
As with the previous outfit, the tie is true pop of color.  Made of raw silk, it has a nice texture to it and the white dots echo the white panes of the jacket.  It’s rust color makes it a diverse tie to wear with earth tones.  This outfit is a new favourite of mine because it does echo an old school look while keeping some modern elements.

Window Pane Blazer from Uniqlo, Spread Collar Shirt from Uniqlo, Merino Wool Cardigan from H&M

Neck tie from J. Crew, Trousers from PacSun, Tassel Loafers from Zara

What’s important to take away from these outfits are the places where I got the clothes.  Pitti Uomo is all about hand made designs, expensive  fabrics, and bespoke (custom-made) everything. I realize that many young people do not have anywhere near the funds to buy those clothes.  However, by picking classic pieces and repurposing certain items you can emulate a great look by paying a fraction of what it cost to buy those items.

Many times people ask me where I get my clothes and I always tell them that I shop at the same mall that they go to.  Sure, some pieces are online, but many times I buy clearance or thrift them.  It doesn’t take much money to have great style; it just takes a bit of luck and a bit of work.

Sincerely,

Ethan W.

Street x Sprezza

Photography by Ethan W.