I should probably apologize to Phillip Carr for hugging him numerous times on the way home from dinner, but I think I’ll wait another six months, when we’re in Florence again, and the city’s magic shrugs off any indecorous gaffes.

Pitti is always full of such stories, which helps offset the insane amount of work involved while there.  This time around we were running around town from 8 in the morning to midnight, a nonstop flurry of picture-taking, podcast-recording, booth visits, meetings, and events.  Dinner actually had to be scheduled to avoid being skipped.

In between all of that are the espressos and negronis, the former getting you through to the latter, and if you’re fortunate, everyone will be in such a jolly mood that your overzealous merriment will be chuckled away as you walk off into the night.  At least that’s what I hope.

Winter Pitti always seems so much more interesting than summer, if not because of way the cold air makes your breath wispy, than at least because of the way it allows you to you layer. Turtlenecks appear to have surpassed collared shirts and ties as the default way to cover one’s neck, not because the latter is out of style, but because the former is a bit less fussy, a bit more versatile, and serves the same aesthetic purpose of framing one’s face.

The cool weather also affords the pleasure of overcoats and jackets, of which there were many. Boldly colored checks, large scale houndtooth in earth tones, and American southwest designs reflecting sunset hues were seen throughout the days and into the nights.  

Scarves were everywhere, in designs classic and abstract, accompanying everything from coat and tie to turtlenecks, inside and outside of jackets.  I myself made a beeline to Tie Your Tie as soon as I could for something to wear to the show, only to have to fortune to run into Kenji Kaga on the way.  He advised the store, and upon my arrival I was shown the most exquisite tubular scarves in a unique washed madder silk.  The muted design was soberly striking, and after wearing it practically the whole show, I’m a little sad I didn’t pick up more colors.  

And now some things to look forward to next fall/winter: standouts are Milan’s Petronius 1926, tiemakers for four generations (all the siblings were there at the booth); Intervere’s massive 800gram herringbone duffle coat (in camel, navy, orange, and violet), and from Drakes, quite a lot. For starters, they purchased rights to replicate old Arny’s repp ties, which are fantastic.  Also on display were several overcoats–a hairy alpaca polo sure to keep you warm after a game, and spongy balmacaan of which I am assured the collar stays up handsomely when popped. Check out StyleForum’s Instagram highlights for booth coverage, it’s much better on video than static pics. 

And as a sneak preview: we were able to record podcasts with some really great people. Look for these as the season progresses.

Like always, this Pitti was definitely work, but when you work with these people – shout out to Fok, Jen, Mitch, Eva, and Ari – and in this environment, you could do much worse. Until the next Pitti, ciao for now.

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Peter Zottolo

Peter works in construction, but has an extensive collection of custom suits which he gets so that he can wear suits on the weekend. Even though he lives in San Francisco, he has never used the word "impact" as a verb. He writes about classic menswear and is one fedora away from being a complete dork.

Latest posts by Peter Zottolo (see all)

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