BLESS Pitti Uomo, the menswear trade show in Florence, for consistently descending at just the time when I need inspiration the most. Here we are, merely ankle-deep into the global phenomenon known as summer, and the possibilities for getting dressed are endless to the point of feeling overwhelming. I’m a kid in a candy shop when I stand in front of my closet each morning, wondering what I should lick first: my cropped vintage Austrian white lace blouse or my favorite multicolored Hawaiian shirt. Or can I lick them both at the same time?
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Enter Pitti Uomo, a platform for some of the fashion industry’s most astute street style, which somehow feels exciting and refined at the same time—a feat made even holier by the golden light of an impending Italian sunset. Scroll below for five styling hacks I mentally jotted down from this year’s haul, ready and waiting to make my panoply of wardrobe choices a little more streamlined while still prompting my most favorite aesthetic question: Why not?
1. Why Not Wear a Belt Outside Your Belt Loops?
Why not indeed! This styling hack is perfect in its simplicity, because it’s easy to execute but packs a complex punch nonetheless. It gives pants a lovely paper bag effect, perfect for pairing with crop tops and gingham vests (although I would also wear with a white racerback tank and chunky gold bracelets if given the good fortune of attempting this idea twice).
2. Why Not Wear Head-to-Toe Acid Green?
This color is very polarizing, which is probably why I love it so much. There are a whole litany of unfavorable things it might be likened to in theory, but consider the more positive ones: intergalactic good! Key-lime pie! Particularly zesty green tomatoes! See? There is much to enjoy in a green so bright it looks like it would singe your tastebuds off. I can’t imagine a better way to lean in and wear it whole-hog than via a mesh tie-dye shirt and metallic button-down skirt. Don’t forgot your sensible brown shoes, because no foray into acid green can be kept neatly in a box.
3. Why Not Wear Short Shorts With an Oversized Blazer?
A Leandra M. Cohen look if I ever saw one, this combo is a proportional win for everyone involved. The effect of wearing a blazer that extends beyond the hem of your shorts is that it renders them akin to high-waist underwear, and that’s fun in its own right. Add a tie-dye T-shirt and loafers you can actually walk in, and you’ve got yourself an ensemble that is not only a treat for the senses but also exceedingly practical. Game set match.
4. Why Not Wear Suspenders Over a T-Shirt?
Pitti Uomo is rife with suspenders, an accessory that deserves much more credence and consideration than I typically give it. That’s about to change, though, because I can’t get this outfit out of my head. I would take the entire thing and superimpose it on my own skeleton if I could, including the hint of dad sneaker, because what’s the point of wearing suspenders if you can’t ruff them up with the art of contrast?
5. Why Not Wear Black Tevas for the Rest of the Summer?
This precise query is something I’ve asked myself multiple times since the inception of summer, each of these times being an occasion in which I wore sandals that blistered my feet like shishito peppers. No need to put myself through that dirty business when the Teva trend is gyrating in front of me with open arms. Not only are they supremely comfortable, but they also look good with everything. Including Cousin “It” bags.
What were your favorite Pitti looks this year?
Photos by Matthew Sperzel.
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