After the shows in London, we move on to our next fashion destination—Florence, Italy—for the 92nd edition of Pitti Uomo, the hugely popular biannual menswear trade show where international style peacocks turn out in well-dressed musters. This season, a globetrotting cohort of editors, writers, buyers and the Pitti-patented posers showed up to browse more than 1,220 brands and special guests that included British designer J.W. Anderson and the label Hugo by Hugo Boss. With its focus on high-end menswear, Pitti Uomo continues to ascend the ranks as one of the most-anticipated events of the men’s fashion calendar; if you’re any type of men’s fashion fanatic, then this Florentine festival of style is certainly the place to be—and here are three of the best collections to prove it.
1. Hugo by Hugo Boss
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It was all about the “Voodoo Magic” at Hugo’s SS18 show. This season’s offering came from all things Wiccan, and the spiritual symbolism was spread liberally throughout a line of heightened creativity that made its appearance as delicate mesh t-shirts, stripped-back suits and floating silk organza dresses for women. The collection—an entirely unconventional outing for the brand—was filled with diverse textures, exaggerated proportions and edgy, artistic prints, which appeared across the mesh tees and sheer shirts as part of the brand’s collaboration with British designer Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY. All in all, this was a refreshing collection full of color, creativity and mysticism—and one that, hands down, made this week a hit.
2. Off-White
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Founder and creative director Virgil Abloh showed up to Pitti with a spring-summer collection chock full of street-ready shapes and high-tech fabrications, all while continuing to expand on his modern approach to street-wear. Perfect for the street-oriented dandy millennial were his edgy sheer jackets with a touch of structure, his relaxed shirts with oversize collars, or all the monochrome hues he contrasted with pops of bold orange (which appeared on shoes, hoods, zippers and sunglasses). It was all this—plus Abloh’s team-up with neo-conceptual artist Jenny Holzer for the politically poetic projections that appeared throughout the show—that made this collection an undeniably progressive fusion of streetwear and tailoring.
3. J.W. Anderson
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Jonathan Anderson’s absence from London Fashion Week Men’s this season certainly didn’t go unnoticed, but thanks to his guest spot at Pitti Uomo 92 we had the chance to relish his spring-summer collection of elevated basics. Throughout this collection, he sent out campy heart prints, Warhol-style vintage logos of American goods and propaganda parody tees, which featured him wearing a WWII helmet and holding a J.W. Anderson-branded coffee mug. Opting to emphasize wearability instead of conceptual creativity, J.W. Anderson’s Spring 2018 collection may have been an unconventional move for a designer celebrated for his vision, but it didn’t stop us from finding several new warm-weather favorites, including chunky cable-knit sweaters, suede trucker jackets, sensibly cut shorts, boxy tees, washed denim and leather biker perfectos; there’s really so much more to love about this season, especially our new shoe of the season—the J.W. Anderson x Converse All Stars.
Brent Taalur Ramsey is an American writer living in Paris.