Maybe nothing in the world is new in menswear and the styles of the past are simply revived–although we don’t expect to see the comeback of men in tights, lace collars and powdered wigs.
Remember last summer? We saw accessory overload, ties long enough to sit on, a myriad of brightly colored jackets paired with mismatched trousers, collar tips pointing upwards, high-water pants and almost no socks to be found.
This year, trendiness tapered off in favor of clothes that can actually be worn to your day job.
Pocket square love has become so deep that pocket squares may have outnumbered neckties at the exhibition. Notably, pale colored socks (reminiscent of the 1940s) made an appearance with oxfords, while feet stayed bare when worn with tasseled loafers or monks.
Just when tasseled loafers were getting a bad rap for looking “girly”, tassled shoes have returned with a vengeance.
Forget outdated boy-band low-rise trousers and try channeling George Raft from the 1930s, who glorified the look of the high-waisted trouser.
It’s worth checking your butt in the mirror to make sure you didn’t sit on a dirty chair. These amazing white trousers go with everything and every shoe.
Teasing aside, these accessories make all the sense in the world when it comes to carrying around electronics, wallets, meds, pens, documents and such.
“Baise-en-Ville” — DeRigueur France
Holy Barbera! I’ve never seen so many Panama hats in one place !
Mayorroma (Panamas and Trilby)
Whether you understand it or not, there’s no denying that this trend has stuck around for Pitti Uomo 88.
Few of us expected the avalanche of solid colors at Pitti 88, as stripes and checks are so pitti-esque. Plenty of patterns to be seen, but the pristine look of the solid suit seemed to win out.
‘Solids’ – GQ Ru, Beckettrobb.com
Blame it on Jake of the Armoury or blame the recent Japanese sack-suit-fetish for the trend towards looser fitting jackets. The 1980s look of a small boy wearing his papa’s coat isn’t back in style yet, but there’s a new appetite for the drape fit.
The theme of Pitti may have been “exploding color”, but the biggest hit at Pitti 88 may have been the softly shaded ensemble.
The split tie has been going strong for a year, and the men of Pitti seemed to second the motion.
Belts — The fashion crowd may have put on belts, but most of the classic-suit-group seemed to eschew the belt like never before, in favor of an unbroken body line.
Branded lapel pins — Lapel pins with branded themes were practically nonexistent and looked strangely tacky when spotted.
Bracelet fever — Goodbye to the practice of wearing more than five bracelets per wrist.
Selfies — Pretty much nonexistent as the tourist vibe feels wrong here.
Fake cell calls — There are so many jokes about posers faking calls at Pitti (in order to look cool in photos), that making an actual phone call felt awkward.
photo credit: Tommy Ton
As a reminder to show grace in the midst of the madness:
Beauty, Fame and Power have their common demoninator – they are all fickle. They can also be described as faithless, fligtly and frivolous. They all enable you to soar high when they are with you, and yet they also drop you from the greatest heights without any prior warning.
They all trip you up when you are least expecting it. Fools are hypnotized by them, while the Wise manage them smartly keeping their feet firmly on the ground. Be Wise, and do not get carried away with Beauty, Fame and Power.
Deodatta V. Shenai-Khatkhate
