Category Archives: News – Musings

The Pittilogues: Pitti Uomo 91, Day 3

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The Pitti crowd is different from the Paris crowd. A little less self conscious. Willing to try harder. Not so focused on appearing as though they don’t care. Italian style, despite what online haters may scream at you, is neither uniform nor uniformly ornate. I’ve said it in the past, but it bears repeating: the people in wild suits and fur capes don’t demonstrate Italian style, they demonstrate Pitti style.

I still find them rather sad. There is a sense of desperation about the way they move. Arianna tells me that when she passes through a crowd with her camera, twenty heads shift, trying to see if they’re being photographed without looking as though they care. I understand that some of them are here to promote something other than themselves, and that beneath the plumage they are people, but I can’t help but dislike the act.

On the other hand, I can say that I firmly believe that Italian men aged 42 – 60 (approximately) may be the best-dressed men in the world – in a Western sense, of course. They are truly effortless, though – the elderly gentlemen I have seen bicycling their groceries through the streets this week give our most-loved forum members a run for their money. Effortless doesn’t begin to cover it.

The fair is busier today, but it still doesn’t feel as packed as I remember. I’ve heard third-hand whispers that I can’t corroborate that some of larger makers are leaving Pitti, because it doesn’t bring sales the way it once did. People still come to buy, of course – it’s a trade show, after all – but more than ever, it’s an opportunity for exposure. A chance to shake hands. Remember names. However, booth prices remain high, and travel prices are not getting cheaper. Some buyers are choosing to come to the Italian brands and showrooms once the fair is over, to avoid the crush as well as the travel fares. Pitti has always been early, early, early in the season, and I wonder if it’s sustainable.

From my end, the fashion fatigue is palpable. Part of me wonders if the idea of trend-chasing is itself a trend, just as everything is a trend. And in part, that fatigue is what retailers such as those who were present at this week’s symposium are fighting against – how to avoid overwhelming their clients with the constant pressure to buy, and how to stay afloat when they’re telling clients to “keep.” It’s a tough line to walk, and it’s interesting to hear the varied opinions on what will come next. No one that I have spoken to expects the “menswear bubble” to last, but part of the reason Italy has remained a stalwart of both design and manufacturing is that it is slow to change. Perhaps Pitti will shrink in the years to come, but tailoring will certainly live on.

Of course, this fair is not a great demonstration of that feeling – there are still plenty of people doggedly following every trend – colored fur, cropped fringe jeans and mules on the women, still too-short too-tight suits on the men. Still plenty of household brands with giant pavilions full of garbage. And, as usual, the “Urban Panorama” sections are full of crap. Golden goose knockoffs, Yeezy-season knockoffs, and sparkly down coats. One company sells jeans with handcuffs through the belt loops. Maybe handcuffs are the next big trend. Yesterday, at Stefano Ricci, I met a man who told me that his guilty pleasure was kitschy Versace clothing, and that he was was once stopped at security for bringing through a Versace blazer that had razor blades sewed along the lapel.  

Everything inside the “unconventional” pavilion feels so tired. Do you remember “street goth?” That’s what this pavilion is devoted to, and even after a year and a half it seems dead. Hell, it seemed dead after six months. But they must have buyers, must have a devoted legion of micro-trend followers, because here they are at Pitti. I don’t find it unconventional at all, but Arianna disagrees. I suppose that’s the beauty of fashion in the age of the internet – we can, without a doubt, coexist with any number of counterparts.

Have I mentioned that there’s a FILA booth? We have no plans to enter it, sadly. Yesterday, some guy was rapping from inside, with an audience that seemed more focused on getting their free drinks and leaving than with seeing whatever’s inside. Today, some people are dancing to a “Gettin’ jiggy with it” remix of some sort.They’re trying so hard to recapture their former 90s glory that it’s not surprising that most people are walking past making bemused faces at the logo-bedecked dancers. I’ve mentioned the resurgence of the logo a few times, but I wonder if it, too, has bloomed and died in the span of twelve months.

There are still plenty of people standing in the plaza hoping to get pictures taken of themselves, blogging madly and hoping to be blogged.I think I’m the most bloggable I’ve ever been today, wearing the cloak of birds that my mother made me. I claim immunity from the scene, so I wonder if I really count as one of them – even if an older Italian man made some kind of bird- or dog-clicking sounds at me as I walked to the Fortezza this morning.

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The rest of the day is a staid affair – we look at brands, we talk to people, we take pictures. Arianna makes fun of how long I spend talking to the people at Snow Peak, but I can’t help myself because it’s awesome. Later, in the central pavilion, I see a kind of nerdy looking white guy wearing head-to-toe Kanye West clothing and he looks….kind of depressed. Like he’s wearing thousands of dollars worth of clothing and doesn’t know why he’s bothering if no one is going to congratulate him for it.

There are high points, of course:

  • Merola is showing gloves with a tie silk lining, as well as a touchscreen-friendly range, both of which are quite nice.

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    Merola gloves – perfect for cold-weather Pitti photography.

  • Fioroni cashmere is showing a new line of cashmere dyed solely with natural dyes – such as olive and madder.
  • 1st pat-rn will appeal to all fans of Engineerd Garments and the modern workwear movement.
  • There really are a lot of well-dressed men here. Every time I point one out, Arianna dismissively says “oh, they just look Italian. Everyone dresses like that here.” She’s from Italy, so I guess I can’t argue – but I’m still impressed.

I have to say that the positives far outweigh the negatives at this show. We’ve spoken to so many people who are passionate about what they do, whether or not you enjoy the results. In a way it doesn’t matter, because as much as we’re in the market for clothes, we’re in the market for stories – without which, as Arianna sagely tells me, clothes are just objects.

We eat a simple dinner and turn in early, despite the face the waiter makes when we tell him we’re only having one course. My past – pici with a mildly spicy tomato sauce – is delicious. I had forgotten how much I love the pasta here.

Thankfully, I have two days to eat more.

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The Pittilogues: Pitti Uomo 91, Day 2

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I wore a suit to Pitti today. Never again. I just can’t do it; can’t look as effortlessly elegant as these people. And by people, I primarily mean people like Erik and his posse of giant vikings, all of whom are a) hilarious and b) really well-dressed. Anyway, I wore a suit, but it has no turn-ups. David once told me that all Italian suits have turn-ups because it is more “sartoriale,“ and I felt weirdly conscious of my ankles as I made my way to the Fortezza. I’ve never felt conscious of my ankles before, but last night I kept staring at how delicately Simon Crompton’s cuffs kissed the tops of his shoes, and I was moved. As a concession to both my streetwear roots and the freezing wind, I also wore a Stephan Schneider coat. Fight me if you must.

Arianna and I spent the morning touring the main pavilion, and talking to some brands we hadn’t seen yet. Arianna liked a footwear brand called Oldrana, which makes very bright hand-painted and patina’d shoes, courtesy of a former theater set designer. Kind of rad.

We also talked to Peter Nappi, which was a pleasure. Phillip Nappi, the brand’s founder, was manning the booth, and we got to hear his story. Here’s my recap: the shoes are really nice. I’ve been following the brand for a few years, entirely online, so it was a pleasure to see them in person. I suspect a pair of boots will make their way to my feet at some point in the future. If you like the Italian workboot style (think Carpe Diem, Jun Hashimoto, etc.), they’re worth checking out. There’s a special hand-welted Goodyear line too, if you’re after top quality.

Oh, and during this period I witnessed perhaps the most Italian interaction I’ve ever seen in my life, in which Arianna and the guys from The Bespoke Dudes launched into a three-hour long (okay, ten minute long) discussion that mostly involved gesticulating wildly, laughing very loudly, and making silly faces. I tried on a pair of cool sunglasses, but as I told them, I have a big head (“Noooo!” they argued, but I know the truth) and Arianna looked much better in everything.

After that, we walked upstairs to the main square, where T-Michael from Norwegian Rain showed off a new collaboration with Y & Sons, in the form of a technical kimono. I think it’s a measure of how used to this place I’ve gotten over the years that a “technical kimono” is a product demonstration that I actively sought out. It was demonstrated by a man who played a saxophone while putting on the kimono in sections, so he kept picking up the sax, sax-ing, then putting the sax back down and putting on the next piece of the kimono, all the while looking vaguely disappointed with his saxophoning. Then T-Michael came on the stage and put on the whole kimono at once, put his hands up in the air, and everyone clapped. Yeah, totally normal, everyday stuff.

Anyway, then it was time for me to go to the Stefano Ricci show. Stefano Ricci, if you’re not aware, makes very expensive tailored clothing, as well as things like $5,000 crocodile leather-trimmed cashmere sweatpants, and $3,000 snow pants for your next vacation in the Alps. Beyond that, my only exposure to the brand is the most recent ad campaign, which features men in suits carrying eagles, which in itself is goddam hilarious and also epic. Plus, I had an invitation to the show, which was in the Palazzo Pitti, so of course I went.

I wander out of the Fortezza, staring at my phone as though I know where I’m supposed to be going. There are black vans waiting to take us to Stefano Ricci, which makes it feel quite official. Men wearing ear buds are waiting to drive us away, after saying “Stefano Ricci?” with an audible question mark, which makes it feel even more official. We sit in silence in the full van, all of us strangers, all of us staring at our phones. I recite Frank Herbert’s litany against fear.

The Riccis are a Florentine family, and this is the 45th anniversary of the brand. The show takes place inside the Sala Bianca. which is on the other side of the river. So away we go! We arrive with some fanfare, receive our invitations, and admire the men dressed in Florentine armor. Then we are ushered upstairs, to wait outside the Sala Bianca, surrounded by more soldiers festooned in the livery of Florence. “Festoon” is a pretty good word for what’s going on around me; so would “bespangle.” There is a lot of plastic surgery in here, is what I mean.

But the salon is – well, it’s beautiful. White carpet surrounds a white runway, and chandeliers hang over the catwalk. Projected lights twirl on the ceiling, and piano music plays in the background. The name Stefano Ricci has been placed atop a wall of pressed white roses, 11,000 in all. The space and the decorations are romantic, beautiful, evocative of the dreaminess of a fairy tale ball. 

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11,000 white roses were used to create the backdrop for the Stefano Ricci show

I am unimportant, so I am in the back, but just being in the space is lovely. If nothing else, these people know how to put on a show. And then, at last, the music starts. It is Good Music; rousing classical compositions that wouldn’t be out of place in every live-action remake of every Disney fairytale from now until the end of time. The kind of shit I absolutely live for. The first model is an 8 year old boy in a jacket and trousers, who gets an enthusiastic round of applause for his cherubic smile. It’s just – I mean, come on. It’s cheating. 

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The opening model at Stefano Ricci

It’s also kind of the high point of the show. Each “course” – the show is presented like a menu – includes one Cherubic Boy and a collection of tall men, most with facial hair and at least a touch of grey about them. Having never seen the clothing in person, it’s hard to know what’s going on up close, which kind of matters in a suit. Roman-inspired, and featuring a lot of shiny fabric. Some of the tailoring looks quite nice, and both @Dirnelli and the Parisian Gentleman crew have had good things to say about the make, but there are some things I can’t get past. Namely, the tailored sweatsuits with embroidered branding on the back pocket and croc-trimmed pockets. I question the crocodile jackets. I question the black leather jacket with a giant black eagle on the back. I question a lot of things, really, but the music is so fantastic and the space so pretty that they could have sent anything down the runway and I’d have been happy.

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The finale.

The music swells, the suits come down the runway one last time, and that’s it. Show over. We walk into the salon next door for a quick bite and a glass of sparkling wine, and then it’s back in the van, away from the fairy tale, and a return to the much less impressive Fortezza da Basso, where I shake a couple hands and then walk back to my hotel.

Now, this is something that I think is very important: fashion design – good fashion design – tells a story. That’s something I think that even I have gotten away from in the last couple of years: the sense that you’re living a story as the main character. And say what you will about some of Stefano Ricci’s less tasteful items on display, but that’s what they do – and they do it successfully. Many designers have, over the last several years, called for a return to the mysticism of fashion. For a return to the romance – of sitting in a beautiful, ornate palace perhaps, watching a fairy tale unfold.

That’s missing inside the Fortezza. And I don’t mean the well-dressed folks, because as I’ve said there are a large number of well-dressed folks. I mean the cynics I mentioned in this post, the ones looking for the obscene visual cues that will set them apart to other people, rather than themselves – pink-dyed fur coats or culottes with combat boots or what have you. We all dress for an audience, but I think that the magic of fashion is that we’re readers of our own story – we’re part of the audience, so even if we’re dressing for the fantasy in our head we’re dressing for ourselves and not just the outside readers. Or at least, that’s how I think it ought to be.

The first time I came to Pitti, I wrote that we should all just wear what we love. I feel as though I’ve come full circle, although I would beg you to ask yourself why you love what you love. Take a look at your wardrobe, and really ask yourself why you wear what it is you wear. What’s compelling your buying? Your styling? I’d be interested to know.

Anyway, it’s midnight and I’ve finished my negroni. See you tomorrow, Styleforum.

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4 Important Takeaways from the Independent Retailers Symposium

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On Tuesday evening, Arianna and I attended the Permanent Style x Plaza Uomo x Stendström’s (whew) event, part of which was the independent retailers symposium led by Simon Crompton of Permanent Style. On the panel were Mark Cho (The Armoury), Mats Klingberg (Trunk Clothiers), Anda Rowland (Anderson & Sheppard), Ethan Newton (Bryceland’s), Patrick Lof, aka @Leaves (Skoaktiebolaget), and George Wang (Brio). Despite the fact that most people in the room couldn’t tell what was going on thanks to the party that was going on behind us (there were drinks, after all), I stood close enough to the front that I could hear fairly well.

You’ll note that, in addition to being some well-known names, all of these are brick and mortar stores. Their goods and online presences vary, but they are similar in that they all have a strong viewpoint and a devoted following.

  1. Brick and mortar is an advantage, rather than an outdated idea.
    1. Anda told us that a store can only be as valuable as its salespeople feel, and that the relationship between consumer and salesperson, and the knowledge a salesperson has of the product, is where things go very right or very wrong.
    2. Mark Cho compared what independent menswear retailers do to what boutique hotels do. He said that, really, they both operate within the hospitality industry.
    3. Ethan Newton told us that his store is an extension of himself, and an extension of the people that work within it.
  2. The internet works in tandem brick and mortar
    1. The refrain, repeated across almost all the retailers present, was that an internet store was good for in-person business, and that in-person visits were good for internet visits. Many shared stories of customers walking into the store to browse the merchandise, and completing the purchase online, or vice-versa. Mark Cho called this omni-channel approach to retail a positive thing, and the question is not whether it should exist, but how to best leverage it.
    2. Anda, at Anderson & Sheppard, said that they’ve seen particular utility in e-commerce as a way for established customers to buy multiples of an item they own and like – many men still want 5 of the same thing, perhaps in different colors.
  3. There is a give and take between store and client
    1. Stores are generally unsuccessful if they attempt to hard to push a vision that a client isn’t responding to (i.e. buying).
    2. Stores can easily lose their way if they respond only to what clients know they want to buy. There needs to be vision at the head of the retailer.
  4. Stores are brands unto themselves
    1. A good store, like a good brand, has personality – caring staff, knowledge of their product, and a story to tell. This is how retailers develop long-term, loyal clientele.

All in all, it was an interesting talk, albeit brief. It’s a pity it was so loud in the venue, as I would have liked the chance to ask a few more questions. What was most obvious about the group gathered was the passion devoted to both menswear and to retail, which made it seem equally obvious that the best prediction for the future of independent retailers is: “bright.”

The Pittilogues: Pitti Uomo 91, Day 1

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Since I flew to Florence from Denver, there was of course a Weed Bro on the plane who had Everything Figured Out. I was banished to the window seat (Lufthansa having somehow ruined my seating reservations), and therefore couldn’t escape from the lecture he gave the young german man sitting in the aisle. Car people just don’t know business, he’s told us, which is why he’s managed to disrupt the entire hail damage repair industry. He wanted to know what everyone did for work, and I was tempted to tell him that I was an ostrich wrangler.

Somehow it seemed like a fittingly absurd conversation to overhear on my way to Pitti 91, where there is an equal amount of absolute certainty about the rules of the fashion system with no demonstration that any of it is even real. My arrival in Italy was punctuated by a 10 hour layover in Frankfurt, which I spent wandering the Innenstadt and people-watching. I watched, for example, a couple flirting at the bar where I ate a truly humongous schnitzel. The boy was wearing cowboy boots with jeans tucked in. The girl was very, very drunk.

Listening to them flirt was fascinating. I took my time over a beer, wondering why we, as a people, seem to only be fascinated by the process of falling in love, and not what comes after. I’m thinking of this in part because of the incredibly trashy YA fantasy romance novels I spend every plane ride reading, but why do we lose interest once the “ILU’s” are traded? Why do we skip from puppy love to heartwarming wrinkled people, with no appreciation in between?

It’s maybe not the greatest metaphor, but I’m going to extend it to fashion anyway. We’re obsessed with the anticipation of what’s next, with the climactic experience of the purchase, and then – well, how many of us have lusted after a piece of clothing only for it to fade to obscurity once it’s in our wardrobe? Arianna, who is at Pitti with me, tells me that something about living in the US just makes her want to buy, buy, buy. And Pitti is very calculated to make you want to buy buy buy, as well – because I can walk into the Monitaly booth and say “I want to wear this head to toe,” then walk next door to De Bonne Facture and say the exact same thing.

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Some quick snaps of De Bonne Facture at Pitti Uomo 91

This was a train of thought that continued to chug along through the haze of jet lag when I arrived at the airport for my flight to Florence – because I had forgotten how easy it is to spot the Pitti-goers, double-breasted and bearded just as they were the last time I made this trek; playing the game even at ten thirty PM in an airport.

It’s a bit awkward to realize that you recognize most of what everyone is wearing. There’s a Gray knit blazer. There’s an LBM casentino overcoat. An East Harbor Surplus down vest. Stone Island. Adidas.  I wonder what the tarmac workers think of us as we climb the ladders to the aircraft, our strange parade of coats-draped over-trousers and bellicose lapels cutting a fine figure through the Frankfurt fog. And once arrived, we descend en masse in equal majesty; a riot of sparkly skull rings and undercuts and white sneakers and hoodies worn under overcoats. I wonder at the cumulative worth of the wardrobes contained within the luggage at the baggage carousel. It takes away the fun of things when it feels as though none of us have any imagination whatsoever. 

Pitti, however, hides some gems. We’ll report back, but I do have some pressing thoughts:

  1. First of all, I can’t help but wonder how long it will take for the see now, buy now mindset to take over Pitti. Choya, a Japanese shirt maker, is taking MTM shirt measurements at their stand, and I can’t imagine they’re alone – or that other brands are far behind.
  2. It felt empty today, on the guest front. I’d be interested to see what the official numbers are.
  3. Hype rules all. Arianna and I went to the presentation of the new collaboration Liverano & Liverano x Roy Rogers denim, and I’ll be damned if I didn’t almost want a pair by the end. And I wondered, per bullet point 1, how many people would have thrown money at the stand hand they been allowed to take the jeans home.
  4. There are a lot of well-dressed people, proportional to the number that look, frankly, ridiculous.
  5. There are a lot of neat brands, too – perhaps it’s Arianna’s idealism that’s rubbing off on me, or perhaps I’ve somehow never noticed in the past, but some of the brands here are, well – they’re cool.
  6. Yasuto Kamoshita remains maybe the best-dressed man on the planet. Wish I’d taken a picture.
  7. The Italian way of eating lunch, in which you drink wine, eat tasty charcuterie, and talk for two hours, is much better than wolfing down whatever hellish fast food you can find while continuing to work, like we do in the states.
  8. Since I know some of you out there are just waiting for me to talk about how miserable I am – yeah, my feet are a little sore.

After all of that, we attended the Permanent Style x Plaza Uomo symposium event, where we saw some old friends. And tomorrow we’ll get into the full swing of things, with a day of fashion shows, parties, and lots of photos from the Fortezza. You’re following us on Instagram, right?

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A Look Back on Menswear in 2016

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It’s not just fashion writers who have a tendency to look back at years-in-review and make sweeping statements about the State of Things. Of course not – it’s human nature to place events into patterns, to try to make usable information out of a god-awful amount of noise. But fashion is interesting in that, despite the protestations of those who’d like to think themselves above the swamp, it’s nearly impossible to insulate oneself from trends that tend to suck all the air out of the room. There are always trends or events that seem to give shape to periods of time, and in that regard, 2016 was a year like any other.

Streetwear, already an all-encompassing term, grew to encompass even more. Athleisure has gotten its grubby little tentacles into everything, and along with the ferocious return of everything that’s even vaguely 90’s in style, that meant a lot of hoodies and track pants, and a lot of sweatpants masquerading as trousers. But in addition to the revival of teenage mall style there were, of course, a few Really Big Things that happened.

First of all, that whole Vêtements thing totally happened, in which there was this brand called Vetements that got super popular super quickly, and then one of the designers got hired to do Balenciaga, and now we can’t stop hearing about how Demna Gvasalia and Vetements are disrupting fashion, which is exactly the sort of statement that means precisely nothing.

Along with Vêtements’ re-packaged and re-branded clothing (labeled “cheeky” by many, or “cheap knockoffs” by collectors of Maison Martin Margiela), the logo has made a triumphant return. Nike has always been somewhat of a special case, but brands such as Thrasher, Palace, and FILA have emerged – or re-emerged – triumphant, laughing like cartoon villains in grey hoodies.

Most importantly, all the myriad fashion microcosms that we love, some of which – like “street goth”-bloom and die in the space of months, and others – such as Scandinavian minimalism, or heavy Japanese denim – that seem to be relatively immortal; can coexist effortlessly due to the proliferation of small boutique e-shops, online re-selling marketplaces, and the dominance of social media as a method for consuming fashion.

Love it or hate it, we have to talk about it. Grailed has become the go-to source for on-trend menswear, accompanied by all the headaches of dealing with a consumer base that really wants things but has no clue why it wants them. That’s not a knock on the idea of a marketplace for niche men’s fashion, nor is it a complaint about the democratization of said fashion, but it is true that Grailed’s easy-to-navigate grid marketplace, and sales concept based on always-frustrating offers and counter-offers, reduces covetable – and occasionally, historically important – objects to bullet points on the wish-lists of kids who don’t care about anything but accumulating “Fire.”

That’s been bookended somewhat by bite-sized “features” geared mostly towards given potential purchases some context, but the core experience remains the same: buy, wear, flip, buy more. I see a link between this kind of consumption – which I don’t necessarily think has to be negative – and a new kind of cynicism that has arisen from the combined forces of overconsumption and the over-saturation of social media accounts devoted to #fashion.


#Fashion was, in fact, the 9th most popular Instagram hashtag of 2016 (source: Shortstack), and Instagram itself continued to prove itself as one of the most influential mediums of fashion consumption. Alongside that rather broad keyword you’ll find words like #vintage, #instafashion, and #fashionblogger. You’ll also note that these sound equally broad, and they are, as with almost everything related to the internet or to finding things within its tubes, fashion has become a search for long-chain keywords that will distinguish the wearer. It’s just that they’re visual – choker, crop-top, denim jacket, and column skirt, for example; or a long coat, Palace hoodie, pin-rolled denim and ultra boosts; creative black tie – it’s all shorthand and worn to be searchable, all designed to stand out, both to internet algorithms and fellow tribespeople.

In fact, perhaps the most notable feature of the online community has been the continued fragmentation of fashion’s tribal subcultures. Due in part to the continued rise of Instagram personas and the free-trade-dream of Grailed, it’s possible to be wearing late 90’s band tees underneath Balmain dinner jackets with whatever-the-fuck-else-you-want and no one – on the internet – bats an eye.


You’ll remember that I mentioned cynicism. There’s a movement, among people who engage with fashion on some level beyond its consumption (and again, that’s not meant to be pejorative) – be they writers, photographers, designers – to disengage visually from these very empty signifiers by wearing whatever the fuck they want. And yes, there is a difference between “curating” your daily look to draw from your three favorite online subcultures, and looking into your closet and thinking “The hell with this.” What I’m getting at is that there are a lot of people these days dressing to look “not like that” rather than “like that.”

Cynical consumption of fashion doesn’t just mean following trends with no attempt to align them to your interests or personality, it means that you know what you are doing and yet you are doing it. Savvy consumers – including savvy internet personalities – are buying across a spectrum of brands and trends that largely defies buying conventions, always with an eye on engagement, on riding the crest of the wave, of adopting early – but not too early – and leaving just as soon.

This, of course, has the equal and opposite result of driving the die-hards deeper into their bunkers. The devoted Raw Denim Dudes are, if possible, even more into raw denim. The guys on Styleforum obsessed with the work of Maurizio Altieri have hunkered down with their collections of Continues pieces. Others are just as unabashedly prep as ever. On Instagram, tagging your post with those more specific terms – such as #acrhive, devoted to fans of ACRNM – labels you as a member of the in-crowd in a way that #fashionblogger doesn’t. Because a cohesive look, even if it’s calculated, implies authenticity – a word that means less every year, but that we, as hobbyists, can’t seem to shake.

Fashion has always been as much a matter of class and politics as any other measure of taste, but to me 2016 felt like the year when wardrobe choices stopped meaning anything. We talk about the organic growth of trends as though One day may call for one collection of brands, and the next may call for something completely different. The repeated refrain of “Wear what you like” (and I’ve been shouting it as loudly as anyone else) nonetheless means that all that raw visual data – that god-awful amount of noise – that we try to package into easily-digestible patterns doesn’t quite fit right.

On the other hand, smart companies and e-commerce sites have done just that, and have broken down our buying and wearing habits into rows and rows of data that’s used to decide everything from what goes up on an e-tailer’s website to what’s included in the newsletters they send out. When Mary Choi complains that dressing has become algorithmic, that’s because we are, in part, fighting against an algorithm. Fashion is another useful datapoint, and the lie we tell ourselves is that by “wearing what we want,” we’re somehow above all that.

Next week, I’ll be returning to Florence for Pitti Uomo 91. Just looking at the exhibitor list tells me that the trend in menswear, for the foreseeable future, will be to embrace all trends. Lucio Vanotti is showing. So is Tim Coppens. So are FILA and Tommy Hilfiger. All of this against a backdrop of brands as storied as Kiton and Cucinelli – and yes, it makes sense to have a spread of brands at a trade show, but I can only imagine that many of them will be worn by the same person, at the same time. Although a part of me would love to complain about the inappropriateness of it all, the rest of me revels in the nonsense. Because that’s what style is, and to pretend otherwise seems to me both a lie and a disservice. The only conclusion to make in 2016 is that we’re all participants in the same grand circus, and my sole resolution for the new year is to stop lying to myself about it.

Who Wore it Best? Styleforum Goes Formal

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Winter is terrible for many reasons, not the least of which is the long, long night.  There’s just something so – depressing – about leaving home for work in the dark only to come home from work in the dark.  There are ways, of course, to prevent full-on Seasonal Affective Disorder.  The more common escape is Netflix and chill, which ends up being Netflix and Ben and Jerry’s.  Or you can break out the formalwear and head out for a night out on the town, which is what many of StyleForum’s users did this past month.  How’d they do?  Let’s see.

Styleforum goes formal

@Lensmaster

Lensmaster dusted off his white tie for what looks like a festive evening.  Dive a little more into the WAYWRN thread and you’ll see his headgear for the evening (hint: it’s not a top hat).

Styleforum goes formal

@SprezzaTrash

SprezzaTrash wore what looks like a vintage double breasted tuxedo, and while there’s nothing wrong with his accessories, I wish his placket was ironed a bit more and the handkerchief a touch more stuffed in.  Otherwise, a good fit all around.

@SmittyCL

Smittycl pairs his single breasted peak lapeled dinner jacket with a pleated shirt.  This is a perfectly acceptable option, rarely seen nowadays, possibly because of the reminiscence it conjures of the groovy Seventies, when they (and most everything else) was taken to the extreme.  As an example, I’ll give you Sonny Bono.  Apologies.  But at least his collar hugs his neck.  Yes, burn.

Styleforum goes formal

@Acridsheep

Old e-pal Acridsheep is a hot mess, yet looks great in that sweaty tux.  To his credit, he just performed The Humpty Dance from Bay Area locals Digital Underground (also on WAYWRN), and look at him.  He’s the king of the evening.  Well done.

Styleforum goes formal

@Cleav

Cleav keeps it simple in a double breasted dinner suit with a perfectly pressed shirt, black onyx studs and cuff links, and what may quite possibly be the cutest pocket square the forum has ever seen.

Andy57 looks like a million bucks in this fantastic bespoke velvet dinner jacket from Steed.  I’ve always thought that velvet shawl collared dinner jackets are the rogue, debonair cousins of the tuxedo jacket.  Like other black tie fabrics, such as barathea or mohair/worsted wool blends, the shine of velvet looks best at night, but the shawl collar and softness of the stoffa adds a dash of swanky guile that your regular black tie rig won’t have.  

Formalwear really hasn’t changed all that much in the past 80 years or so, which in today’s world of fashion that revolves faster than Lady Gaga can change outfits is wonderfully constant.  Even so, because it’s seen so rarely, it’s never staid or clichéd.  For that reason, one can browse eBay and stumble upon amazing finds that, with few alterations, can look just as fresh today as they did when they saw their first gala.  Which brings us to what I wore for an evening of ballet at the San Francisco War Memorial:

Styleforum goes formal

I was fortunate enough to find this deadstock double-breasted tuxedo from 1949 that required no alterations whatsoever.  I especially like how the peaks point up at an angle; many from that era had more horizontal, “Tautz” -y lapels, which while not necessarily wrong, can look a bit dated.  Keep your eyes peeled throughout the year and you may find black tie and even full dress white tie outfits, and since they were probably rarely worn, they are often in near-perfect condition.

Technically, the days are starting to get longer, but I do like the opportunities that long nights provide for well-dressed merrymaking.  If nothing else, it’ll force you to host a party of your own to fill up those long, empty evenings.  Because if your only memories of this winter come from binging on Netflix, then brother, ya gotta get out and live.

Pitti Uomo 91 Preview

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Pitti Uomo is more than you can possibly grasp from looking at pictures online. Sure, it’s a peacock parade, and this receives an disproportionally large amount of the media attention that surronuds the fair. But then again, this is where you’re likely to meet anyone who’s anyone in the menswear business. As I look forward to returning for the 7th time, Pitti has begun to feel like a reunion of sorts. I’ve met a lot of people at the show who I now consider friends, although they are of course too numerous to name in this text without resorting to tedious name dropping. I think pictures speak louder than words in this instance.

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Pitti Uomo 91 Preview
Pitti Uomo 91 Preview
Pitti Uomo 91 Preview
Pitti Uomo 91 Preview
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Pitti Uomo 91 Preview
Pitti Uomo 91 Preview

… and that’s about a third of the people I’m looking forward to seeing again.

Although the crowds milling about inside the Fortezza da Basso are the butt of many jokes, being outside the fair gives you a chance to see some of the clothes that are on display inside the pavilions being worn by actual people. It’s also the place where some of the brands and makers who can’t afford a booth at the fair have a chance to showcase their clothing, shoes, and accessories by wearing them. I’ve met some of the finest craftsmen within their trade on the square outside of the main pavilion. So no, it’s not attended only by men and women who have found fame by dressing for an Instagram or tumblr audience – not that there is anything wrong with that, in my opinion.

There are a lot of people (I think around 50,000 attended the last time around), both outside and inside the pavilions. Some are there to get a chance to get a first glimpse of new collections, to see and perhaps buy some of the finest menswear in the world, and some are there to mainly to mingle. It’s a place where you can fully engage in menswear nerdery for several days in a row, either by talking about it in detail with other guys, or by studying the actual products. From what I’ve gathered from friends who are exhibiting at Pitti, the time is equally focused on making contacts for future sales, as it is on making sales during the days of exhibition.

Meeting people doesn’t stop when the fair closes down for the day. A lot of magazines, websites and brands host nighttime events. Some of the events that we never miss are Plaza Uomo’s (Swedish menswear magazine), Ign Joseph’s (shirt & accessories maker), Simon Crompton’s Symposium (this year luckily cohosted with Plaza Uomo) and a few others. I also try and squeeze in as many dinners as possible, because…you know, Italy. If you haven’t run into anyone by the time events and dinners end, you’ll have a 99% chance of meeting them at Caffe Gilli, in the historic center of Florence. I’m no big fan of Gilli’s overpriced drinks, rude staff, and cramped space, but I’ll probably find myself there at least 3 out of the 4 nights I’m in Florence.

While at the fair I generally don’t look at all the biggest or most well-known exhibitors. I can see their wares displayed in shop windows back home, and on every #menswear tumblr and Instagram account. For me, it’s more fun to venture into the exhibitors’ halls without too much of a schedule. I’m not there to buy (mainly), I’m there for inspiration, and to write about this for you guys.

Of course, makers such as Drake’s and Ring Jacket and other equally famous#menswear brands are super inspiring, and I will definitely look up their new collections, but for me it’s usually most rewarding to head into the makers section of Pitti. I always come back to this in all my trade show write-ups, but it’s where you’ll find the most new and small brands at Pitti. The ones who try out new and weird ideas, for better or for worse. It is never boring, though.

I also like to see new and inventive ideas mixed with traditional designs. A lot of the makers I often find myself talking to for the longest time are Japanese. Like Hybrid Sensor, for example, who integrate new, man-made high-functionality fibers into traditional tailoring. Of course, this is off-putting for a lot of traditionalists, but personally I’m quite interested in technical advancements in the making of classic clothing.

Other interesting exhibitors for me are:

Camoshita United Arrows – beautiful mix of Japanese austerity and Italian flair & tailoring.
Pitti Uomo 91 Preview Yasuta Camoshita
Hestra – Swedish glove makers who offer bespoke gloves in all the most beautiful materials you can imagine.

Inis Meain – original knitwear from the island of Inis Meáin, off the coast of Ireland. Sounds romantic right? Their knitwear definitely reflects it.

La Portegna – Spanish leather artists, making some of the most beautiful leather goods around.

Le Loir En Papillon – the man behind the name, Mickael, has built his own little world consisting of beautiful and original accessories. All truly personal and quite tasteful.

Pitti Uomo 91 Preview le loir en papillon

Levi’s Made & Crafted – in my opinion, one of Levi’s most interesting collections at the moment.

Loic et Gil – yet another highly unique and interesting accessory maker.

Norwegian Rain – combining high tech materials with natural fibers, in both fashion forward and more traditional designs. Very Scandinavian friendly in downplayed colour schemes and clean designs.

Sastreria 91 – this is a family owned tailor and haberdashery store from Spain, owned by my dear friends Paul and Kat. They offer some truly original tailoring and accessories, all very true to their Spanish heritage.

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Kat of Sastreria 91.

Sciamat – the Ricci brothers have really made an impact with their very recognizable house style. It’s a bit daring, but I find it quite inspiring.

TBD Eyewear – a company making handmade glasses, started by the always delightful Fabio Attanasio. They have made quite an impact in a short time. Not only because of Fabio’s #menswear fame, but also very much due to the clean and classic designs.

Viberg – classic workwear boots and casual shoes. What’s not to like?

All in all, I’m looking forward to a week without much sleep, but hopefully a week that leaves me with new inspiration, ideas and friends.

This year my fiancée can’t come along because of work, but I will try to do some coverage of the fair anyway, with @Anden doing some photography.

Erik is co-founder of EFV Clothing. You can find him on Instagram at @ErikMannby. If you’re attending Pitti Uomo 91 this January, let us know in the comments below!

Holiday Sales Roundup

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It’s time for our Holiday Sales Roundup! End-of-year sales are now on at many of Styleforum’s favorite retailers. They are listed below for your shopping ease. We’ll be updating this list through year’s end, so check back frequently. If you’re a retailer, please email [email protected] to share your end-of-season deals.

ACNE Studios – up to 40% off (UK and Australasia)

Barneys – 10% off sale prices

Barneys Warehouse – 40% off, up to 60% off clearance

Blue and Cream – 15% off sale with code “MERRY”

Brooks Brothers – semi-annual sale on now plus 15% off sale prices

Calculus Victoria – Please enjoy an additional 15% off store-wide. Coupon code EXTRA15.

Caliroots – 30-50% discount

Capsule Toronto – up to 30% off

Coggles – up to 50% off

Dents – sale up to 60% off.

East Dane – Get up to 75% off with code TREATYOURSELF

Edwin  – Our Winter SALE starts this morning with 20% OFF selected items from the Autumn/Winter 2016 Collection

End Clothing – Sale up to 50% off

Epaulet – Extra 30% off sale items with code: Holiday-30-Off-Sale

Esk Cashmere – Seasonal sale, varied discounts

FEIT – 50% off a selection

Flannels – up to 50%.off

Frances May – up to 60% off

FWRD – Expanded sale selection

Graduate Store – Boxing Day Sale up to 70% off outlet

Grana – The No Mark-up Sale

Gravity Pope – 20% off sales prices, 25% off winter (Click to see codes)

Haven – Up to 70% off, no code needed

Isaia – 50%+ sale. Suits for ~$2k, shirts $275.

J Crew – an additional 50% off sale styles with code THEBEST

La Portegna – up to 50% off

Lost Found Shop – Take 25% off using code ‘miketyson'(even the sale items!)

Luisa via Roma –  Insert code AFS20 at checkout and click ‘Apply’ for 20% off your order

Marcus Malmborg – up to 30% off

Matches –  Sale up to 60%

Mohawk General Store – 30% off

Mr. Porter – Up to 50% off

Neighbour – 15% off with code UNBOXED

No Man Walks Alone – 20% off with code VORTEX

Oki-Ni – sale up to 50% off

Orlebar Brown – Up to 50% off

Our Legacy – 40% off

Rag & Bone  – Extra 25% off sale with code SALE25

Ralph Lauren –  Sale up to 65% off plus an additional 30% off sales styles with discount code 2017

The Real Real – sale up to 50% off

Saks Fifth Avenue – Sale up to 70% off

Sneakerboy – 50% sale

SSENSE  – sale now up to 70% with new markdowns

Steven Alan – 40% off a selection with code EXTRA40

Stone Island – STONEPRIVATESALE16 for 30% off

Sunspel – up to 30% off

Suspension Point – 25% off storewide with code BOX2016

Theory – Sale up to 60% off

Tres Bien Shop – WINTER SALE NOW ON, starting online with up to 30%

Understudy – Boxing Week Sale is on, Up to 40% OFF. Code: BOXWEEK15 gets you an extra 15% off orders over $300 CAD

Wings & Horns – End of Season Sale

Wrong Weather – up to 40% off

Yoox – Extra 25% off, no code needed

 

Is there room for humor in fashion?

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In addition to attempting to survive the nonsense of the holiday season, every year, my girlfriend and I are invited to an “ugly sweater party.” Since I think about clothing a lot, this always gets me wondering whether there’s any room for humor in fashion. As a matter of principle, I own no ugly sweaters, and refuse to buy a one solely for the sake of seasonal shenanigans. This year, attending said party (to which I wore a very simple Margiela pullover) did get me thinking about a bigger question: whether there’s any room in fashion – and more specifically, in my wardrobe – for humorous clothing.

I’ve tried in the past to incorporate silly or even ironic pieces into my closet.  I’ve played with the idea of dumb logo sweaters and intentionally ugly outerwear and shoes as an attempt to inject what could be construed as some kind of humor into my daily wear. It never sticks, though.

Now, “humorous” clothing is different from “whimsical” clothing, which I do favor – and I’d classify brands such as Kapital, Blue Blue Japan, even Margiela as whimsical – whereas an ugly holiday sweater has no use or significance outside one very specific time of year and one very specific in-joke. I suppose it’s an in-joke, but the number of people I see (granted, in Colorado) wearing truly hideous Christmas sweaters – and they’re specifically Christmas sweaters – on a regular, daily basis, suggests that maybe the joke’s gone completely over my head.

After all, the ugly Christmas sweater industry is now worth millions of dollars. I’m not kidding. Large (primarily) American and UK retailers (think Target, Wal-Mart, Kohl’s, Lord & Taylor) dedicate massive amounts of floor space to seasonal garbage, and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of websites dedicated to providing users with endless options (as in, tens of thousands) for their hideous seasonal needs.

That one on the left? That’s the world’s most expensive Christmas sweater. It’s covered in Swarovski crystals and is valued at $30,000. The one on the right has a detachable reindeer stuck to it with velcro, and it’s a bargain at $67.

I had privately thought that we’d moved beyond the fad of whatever intentionally post-ironic hipsterism defined the years 2010-2013, but the meteoric rise of admittedly ill-defined “street” fashion seems to have proven me wrong. When a cotton tee with the DHL logo can become the must-have item of the season, as well as an intentional and in-your-face statement about conspicuous consumption (retail ~ $300), I think that an ugly Christmas sweater starts to make more sense. Yes, I do see a link between wearable seasonal garbage and it-brand Vêtements – if in no other way than that they’re both trends so runaway it’s impossible for anyone to point at why we still care about them (Vêtements did, I think, have some initial promise that has degraded for a number of reasons).

This year, uglychristmassweater.com is projected to make $5.5 million in sales, which is not a small figure. And this summer, Gosha Rubchinskiy more or less won Pitti with a show featuring collaborations with Kappa and FILA, among others – all of which are probably poised to sell out the instant they hit e-tailers in 2017. We’ve known that The Logo has returned in importance for some time now, but the popularity hasn’t faded. That it will, I’m certain – trends always die, and in five years I doubt we’ll be seeing many Instagram supermodels wearing chokers and distressed sweatpants.

There has always been room for “ugliness” in fashion, and more generally in art, whether it comes in the form of Rei Kawakubo’s continued insistence on clothing that’s almost nothing like clothing, or in Carol Christian Poell’s garments that often display – intentionally – the opposite of bourgeois good taste while largely ignoring the shape of the human body. In these cases, the ugliness has merit, meaning, and considerable intellect backing it up. The extent to which that matters is debatable – we’re all paying so that we can be in on the joke, and show that we’re a part of the club too.

I think that it is difficult for even the most resolutely self-aware consumers to avoid taking themselves far, far too seriously – whether it’s forming opinions on the “correctness” of Ivy League attire, desperately wanting your box logo Supreme tee to be real as opposed to a knockoff, or refusing to snip the stitches holding the tags on your Margiela garments. Taste is largely a matter of societal echolocation, and the world of fashion is a very big – if often nonsensical – echo chamber.

More importantly, it’s important to remember that all of this stuff is constructed more or less arbitrarily. Completely random or outdated occurrences have nevertheless resulted in what are now the “rules” of menswear. Welcome to fashion! The show where the game’s made up and the points don’t matter. And despite my griping, at this point the Ugly Christmas Sweater has become tradition solely due to saturation – and in that way it’s sort of a nice metaphor for the fashion system at large. So much of fashion is devoted to the idea of looking as though you don’t care about fashion, and perhaps an ugly sweater is no different: “This is my way of showing that I don’t take myself too seriously – but just seriously enough to make the effort to not appear serious.” Yes, you heard me – happily wearing the waste of capital and labor that is the Ugly Christmas Sweater is the same as adjusting the lazy puff in your pocket square so that it’s not too lazy.

As a good friend put it when I asked what he thought of the whole thing, “It’s important never to start seeing your clothes (or your sociological place) as having any inherent meaning outside human invention,” which is great advice that’s nevertheless easy to forget. As a matter of principle, I also asked forum member @Brad T, who told me that it was stupid to ask “if there is room for [humor] in fashion. Of course there is. There is an infinite amount of room for everything.” Which, as far as philosophical answers go, is comfortably non-nihilistic.

Loops and traps, my friends. This season, remember that all matters of taste are matters of class warfare. And, if fashion is merely the leveraging of existential pleasures or a visual form of reader response, I suppose you’re free to buy all the hideous sweaters you like this winter. Wear them over your button-down collars with buttons left undone, underneath your Margiela overcoats with stitches intact . Nothing’s stopping you!

As far as the sweaters go, I won’t be joining you – they’re just not to my taste.