Maybe I’m just getting older, or am I finally growing up ?…… nah doubt it, I still have vintage Action Men ( GI Joe for our readers from across the pond) and I’m often spotted wearing a vintage Mickey Mouse watch too, we always have a small collection for sale in ‘The Cabinet of Wonders’ within the shop, perhaps better known as ‘objects of virtue’ on our website…were you can peruse grown up things like vintage Cartier and Dunhill cigar cutters, Humidors by Louis Vuitton and Rapport, unused pre owned and quite exquisite Cartier fountain pens, rare Dunhill rollerballs, along with a curated collection encompassing a full set of 1/7th scale miniature Louis Vuitton trunks, that were awarded as gifts by LV to loyal clients as well as a full size LV trunk, cases, make up trunks and an LV shoe trunk…. How grown up is that?!
That aside and I’ll get to the point
Pitti Uomo in the beautiful city of Florence , which in itself is a huge draw for me…. even if I’m being lazy ( I don’t like travel too much) and thinking I’ll give Pitti a miss this year…. the narrow streets of the Santo Spirito area with its , somewhat almost hidden artisan shops , containing shoemakers, tailors, the most wonderful antique shops and amazing vintage shops, that despite a modest doorway and display window are cavernous inside, and stretch back and around belying the presence of the exterior.
There is art and culture a plenty to see if you don’t mind a queue or two
For me and I’ll keep things simple as I like to do in all things…. There are some amazing restaurants a vibrant food market ( Mercato Centrale) with an upper floor , sectioned into various spaces selling freshly made and quite wonderful pizza, pasta, steaks…and if you fancy it ( I don’t) Lampredotto (4th section of the cows stomach) or ‘tripe’ as it’s known in England…. I tried it once by mistake and was underwhelmed
I don’t particularly care for ‘Michelin Star’ type food as much as I don’t care for over dressing and that tried too hard look!
I love champagne , but dislike vintage champagne as it ‘stills and flattens’ and becomes wine like … give me a young vibrant fizzy fresh refreshing glass of over chilled by restaurant standards any day, hour or minute
Which brings me back to the show Pitti Uomo and this January …the 105th event!
Firstly Pitti is a trade show, a buyers show.
It is a trade exhibition for buyers from around the globe to come and view some of the best clothing, shoe / glove makers, socks, denim, skiwear and related accessories… garment hangers and covers ..everything under the roofs of many halls and floor levels.
True it’s a very well publicised show that is definitely worth the travel if you are a store buyer/owner.
I see some beautifully dressed people , simply dressed, in exquisitely cut understated clothes with an odd and often pleasing quirk thrown in here and there.
The show in times of Covid was in a ‘desperate’ state and the first couple after the lift on travel were heavily policed affairs with essential mask wear and distancing …. during the lockdown, I believe the show was a virtual exhibition with live links to brands…. I like that it tried and thankfully didn’t die
It’s smaller than it was , but each show grows a little and hopefully some exhibitors absent in recent exhibitions may return
So I’m finally going to say … if I have one gripe about the whole thing….
( But first I must quantify that I appreciate that publicity for Pitti is very important and helps drive awareness for the show)…. My gripe is that The Show’ is becoming just that…a ‘SHOW’ of the unrealistic clothes, attention grabbing outfits, that aren’t ‘real’… They are false, worn only for the show to grab attention and be photographed in. Worn often by influencers, social media pundits who probably wouldn’t dream of wearing said outfit to the local Asda or Walmart.
When our previous website was Google checked for plagiarism … the test came back 98% original….. I had written every word except the 2% that I still stand by today, written by Coco Chanel.
‘To dress well is to pass, un noticed through an ungainly crowd… yet to create a mild sensation when entering a drawing room containing the knowing few’..
COCO CHANEL
Look at Pitti and you may see those who pass by largely un noticed, many of whom have created a ‘knowing’ nod or smile, but have received few flashes from the cameras of the show photographers.
I have received a few knowing ‘nods’ though it’s harder to work out now , as I’m often recognised or smiled at because of my presence on Tik Tok and Instagram and slowly YouTube …do also please have a look at our short video on YouTube..’ A week in Florence!’
So what I would like to see, is more ‘mild sensations’ being photographed in well cut clothes, put together with care and made to look effortless …. For me that’s the key to good dressing.
Dougie Hayward the Mayfair tailor was an early influence on me ( for those who don’t know he did the suits for the film The Italian Job, and dressed Sir Michael Caine, Terrence Stamp, Sir Roger Moore and many others…. I remember him saying as he got older , he just wanted to make a dark two piece suit, cut properly… it will take a good stone (14lbs) off you.
He also said and I intend to cover this in a video…. ‘You buy into your tailors or chosen shops, taste’….
So for me at least … it’s a bit of a pity about Pitti…as I long for a return to core style and a focus on elegance…. a creation of a ‘mild sensation’ rather than a visual assault at thirty paces!
Understatedly yours
Jeremy
Rhodes-Wood
Harrogate
North Yorkshire
UK