‘Lights, Camera, Action!’ at Pitti Uomo 93

Iconic style by Brooks Brothers

If cinema is life with the boring bits cut out according to director Alfred Hitchcock, there will be much entertainment for guests at the January edition of the Pitti Immagine fashion fair.

Pitti Uomo 93 (Jan. 9-12), Pitti Bimbo 86 (Jan. 18-20) and Pitti Filati 82 (Jan. 24-26) will explore the enduring relationship between fashion and cinema for designers, models and buyers through the theme PITTI LIVE MOVIE, which even has Michelangelo’s David as one of the protagonists.

For the 93rd edition of Pitti Immagine Uomo, the premier international event for men’s fashion and lifestyle, the Fortezza da Basso headquarters will replicate the frenzied atmosphere of a film festival starring the different “worlds” of menswear.

Styles will be showcased in each of the fair’s sections as different movie genres. The main area will be transformed into a movie theater district with billboards and posters announcing 11 films on the program and the pavilions will become the theaters for enjoying the shows under the creative direction of Italian lifestyler Sergio Colantuoni.

For the first time, the official opening ceremony will be at the renovated Chamber of Commerce Stock Exchange building (Camera di Commercio) on the banks of the Arno on January 9 (10:30 am). The space, renamed “Work in Florence,” contains fully equipped offices and suites that can be rented even for a half a day (which can be reserved via app), and contains a rooftop restaurant.

After the kickoff, over 1200 brands will present their menswear collections for Fall/Winter 2018-19 in a packed calendar of appointments, including runway shows, pop up stores and digital projects.

Fratelli Rossetti, the prestigious Italian footwear company established in 1953, will return to the main pavilion.  The much-anticipated new men’s collection by Karl Lagerfeld will be on show at the Sala dell’Orologio at the Palazzina Lorenese.  There will be the celebration of Pepe Jeans London’s 45th anniversary through the presentation of a new collection highlighting the environmentally friendly and sustainable treatment of denim.

Held in some of the most appealing locations in the city are not-to-miss appointments often by invitation only, and occasionally, open to the public.

At the Galleria dell’Accademia on January 9 (7:30 – 10 pm), Lanificio Luigi Ricceri, the wool mill founded in Prato in 1925, will unveil 10 of its exclusive and iconic fabrics as part of a video installation entitled “Fabric is Art” by digital artist Felice Limosani.

In a magical combination of technology and digital art, projections and plays of light will adorn Michelangelo’s David with the finest prints by the Tuscan firm. The winner of the 2010 PV Awards, the Lanificio created the fabric of the tartan coat worn by Kate Middleton during the 2017 royal family’s Christmas mass.

In a tribute to the magic of the silver screen, the British brand Belstaff celebrates 70 years of the evolution of its iconic Trialmaster jacket in a cocktail event in Piazza del Carmine (Jan. 10, 6 – 9 pm). The motorcycle jacket has been featured in hundreds of movies, such as “The Aviator” and “Batman Begins.”

2018 marks 200 years since the Brooks Brothers’ founding in New York City. The America’s oldest apparel brand known for its preppy polos and creator of the 1920s men wardrobe in Baz Luhrman’s film “The Great Gatsby” will promote its first-ever fashion show within the Salone dei Cinquecento in the historical Palazzo Vecchio on January 10 at 7:30 pm.

Open to the public at Palazzo Vecchio will also be a retrospective of Brooks Brothers’ legendary archives from January 11 to 14. Another accessible event is the exhibition “Capucci Dionisiaco” on show in the Pitti Palace’s Andito degli Angiolini in Palazzo Pitti from January 9 to February 14. It displays pastel drawings by the international fashion designer and master of Made in Italy Roberto Capucci’s portrayals of imaginative men’s costumes for theater.

For residents and visitors of Florence global luxury brand Gucci will inaugurate the Gucci Garden inside the 14th century Palazzo della Mercanzia in Piazza della Signoria during Pitti Uomo.  It will comprise a store selling unique edition products, a restaurant and exhibition spaces. Concurrently, Moncler the Italian apparel manufacturer most known for its sportswear will open its boutique in via Strozzi.

The Stazione Leopolda, the early nineteenth century train station of Florence, will host the global final of the prestigious International Woolmark Prize that promotes fashion talents who showcase the quality of Australian Merino wool. Two winners from the six menswear finalists and the six womenswear finalists will be chosen among the most talented emerging designers worldwide to be marketed in top stores (January 9, 5 pm).

On Thursday, January 11 at 7:30 pm, the same location will become the set for the presentation of Undercover by the Japanese Jun Takahashi and Takahiromiyashita The Soloist, Guest Designers of this edition.

The Pitti Immagine Discovery Foundation will present the Concept Korea project at Pitti Uomo, featuring some of South Korea’s most interesting brands. The Dogana in via Valfonda will host runway showings of collections by Beyond Closet and Bmuet(Te) on Wednesday, January 10 at 12 noon.

Pitti Immagine Discovery is also the sponsor of the Guest Nation project. At Pitti Uomo 93, eight designers and brands from Finland will be the protagonists of a Finnish style party at the neoclassic Palazzo Borghese (Jan. 10, 9 pm).

For an insider’s perspective of Pitti Uomo 93, join the esquire.com/it platform for The Fashion Diary by Giampietro Baudo, editor in chief of Esquire Italia, who will share his vision of men’s fashion and style by exploring the latest ideas and the curious features, or use hashtags #pittiuomo #pu93.

On Instagram, 40 stories inspired by 40 famous films can be viewed on the Pitti accounts marked with the hashtag #PittiLiveMovie. The complete program of Pitti Uomo 93 is available on the Pitti Immagine web site. (celeste giampietro collins)