Reinterpreting Style: Grey Fox at Pitti Uomo

I've just returned from Pitti Uomo in Florence, where I was the guest of Johnstons of Elgin, whose AW17 menswear collection was being launched. I'll write about that in a later feature; here I want to record a few thoughts prompted by my experiences at Pitti.

Image Grey Fox

To call Pitti Uomo simply a vast menswear trade fair would be to miss the point. Based in Italy, it's bound to be coloured by the sartorial splendour of that country. Famous for the well-dressed men, peacocking in the central square and pursued by photographers, the world sees a distorted, yet in some ways accurate, view of the event. It's really about the commercial world of menswear, but showmanship and Italian 'bravura' can't be held back in a country where appearance, 'la bella figura', is so important.

Chatting at Pitti - image Grey Fox

I'd been wanting to get to Pitti since I started this blog five years ago. It was Scott Schuman's (The Sartorialist) images of dapper older men at the event that made me realise that the older man is not lost to style - an assumption it's easy to make in the world where menswear brands largely ignore you once you're past thirty years of age.

Going to Pitti has inevitably coloured my view of style. The experience has furthered my search for style which is the central theme of this blog. How has it done that? I've always realised that style means different things to different men, but I'm learning to accept and use the richness of this variety. To some style is showing yourself off as a peacock, in the modern sense of the dandy*, in flamboyant clothes and behaviour; to to others, style is more subtle, akin to Beau Brummel whose original interpretation of dandyism was more perfection in fit and quality, understatement in design and a way of life than flamboyance. Most of us look for something in between (I know I do), but the two extremes influence us all.  We take elements of a look, however extreme or conventional, in the use of colour or pattern, and apply a selection, an interpretation, to suit our own style and to influence how we dress. 

I will be using some of these thoughts this year. I'm planning a series of interviews with men of style to be called Masters of Style, seeking their advice for buying and styling our wardrobes to suit our own tastes and personalities. I'll also be giving you some of my own ideas as to how we can use the clothes we have more effectively, looking at our existing wardrobes in a novel way.

Meanwhile, have a  look at these images taken at Pitti and see if they inspire you in any way.

*I'll shortly be reviewing Rose Callahan's most recent photographic examination of dandyism which shows these extremes to perfection. Click here to browse or buy We Are Dandy: The Elegant Gentleman Around the World.

Pitti Uomo SS14 - what were they wearing on the streets? Mr Porter video

Pitti Uomo SS14 followed immediately on London Collections:Men. Here Mr Porter captures what was being worn over the last few days by visitors to this Florence menswear show.

I love the double-breasted jackets. Some details you may like, others not, but it's worth a look.

A hat - a must for the older man

I was interested to see from GQ magazine's photos of this year's Pitti Uomo (see my post of 14th January) how many men were wearing hats similar to the trilby which I bought in Dorset a couple of weeks ago. I doubt that the fashion world is rushing to emulate my purchase and assume that I have unwittingly hit a trend at the right moment.

But I realise now that a hat has many advantages as a man thins on top. The warmth is welcome on a cold day and the brim's shadow hides many a blemish.

Anyway, here is Grey Fox walking the dog and wearing a brown rabbit fur trilby (full story of the hat here). Jacket is Ralph Lauren, brogues Loake Chester 2, English tweed scarf and (ancient) jeans both from Marks and Spencers (can we mention them in fashion blogs?).  Below are pictures courtesy of Tommy Ton and GQ.

Pitti Uomo GQ video - style inspiration for the older man

A little over a year ago I began to wonder what middle-age had to offer me as a man in terms of fashion and style. Was I really heading for a life of grey Velcro strap shoes, non-iron shirts and nylon jumpers?

Idly I Googled and found a few fashion sites and blogs. Of these, The Sartorialist stood out and it was his photographs of men of my age at something called Pitti Uomo that gave me ideas of how I could begin to search for a style of my own. Men of all ages can look well-dressed; youth offers no great advantages as the GQ video, linked below, of this year's Pitti Uomo illustrates so well.

The Sartorialist - Pitti Uomo

The Sartorialist

The Sartorialist

The Sartorialist

 I'm still don't know much about Pitti Uomo, although it's obviously a show where fashion designers and retailers show their wares. I know little about this side of fashion. My possibly inaccurate view of this world is of one where everyone has to look devastatingly gorgeous and where models have starve themselves to find work, so what's refreshing about The Sartorialist's photos and those on the GQ slide show is that they show people who are not models and are therefore relatively normal-looking but stylishly-dressed. This means that it is easier to see how clothes affect their style, something not easy on the sterile and unrealistic backdrop of a professional model.

Here is a link to GQ's excellent slide show of this year's Pitti Uomo, just finished. It's interesting how classical many of the styles are, or maybe laymen like me just assume wrongly that fashion people all wear wild and wacky styles. The more classical the style the more it suits an older man (in my view).

Tommy Ton's Street Style: Pitti Uomo Style: GQ.com

Above and below are some of The Sartorialist's pictures that had me thinking a year or so ago -