3 Pitti Uomo Inspired Menswear Looks for Summer

Pitti Uomo draws the most stylish men on the planet together to Florence for a show of bold tailoring and sartorial peacocking. This isn’t your boardroom fashion on display: men trot out their loudest prints, most vibrant colors and widest lapels for what amounts to the Olympics of men’s style.

This year I attended Pitti with a slightly different mindset than years past: I shied away from traditional suiting in favor of more relaxed looks that feel modern and younger. You can translate these outfits  and trends into your own wardrobe whether or not you’re a Pitti-going industry insider.

This suit from Hardy Amies of Savile Row packs a lot of punch. The bold windowpane high-contrast plaid makes it an eye-full. To dress it down, I paired it with a neutral t-shirt and matching sneakers for a look that’s both sophisticated and laidback. A suit doesn’t have to be stuffy and office-only attire. There’s no better look for a night out on the town, visiting a gallery opening or situation that requires a smart look but not necessarily a formal one. The trick here is to choose a suit with modern tailoring (not that stodgy three-button your accountant might wear). The cut should be slim in the jacket and the trousers tapered down the leg. A higher hem is also a good choice when pairing with sneakers or casual footwear.

The second day I brought New York street vibes to Florence. This was a look that stood out against the formality of most at Pitti. A t-shirt and jeans don’t automatically mean void of style. You can elevate a simple look like this with the right accessories: in this case that means a felt fedora and matching leather shoes from River Island. You could wear this to stroll around any European capital and be one of the best-dressed men in the city.

One of the biggest trends in men’s denim right now is a raw hem. I took these jeans from Simon Miller to my tailor to have the hems cut and frayed, as well as taken in down the leg for a slightly more tapered look that helps elevate them to a style statement.

The shirt from Vince I also hand-destroyed. You can do this with any of your t-shirts at home to give it an edgier look that pairs well with distressed denim.

Here I wanted to show that when it comes to men’s style, there are no hard and fast rules that apply any more. I combined an unexpected mix of items here to create this look that has a nerd-chic appeal. The suit from The Kooples had a subtle seersucker pattern in navy and black that was a good palette for a collar-less chambray shirt that brought in both color and a sense of street to this look.

The short suit has been around for a while now and is just starting to reach a broader commercial appeal (that still doesn’t mean you could get away with wearing this to your job at a law office). It’s a good option for creatives in the summertime with toned legs.

I am not typically a fan of socks, but something about socks with this look seemed right. You can take one of your old suits to the tailor to have them transform the trousers into shorts and give an old look new life.

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