Timeless Fashion at Vintage Selection & Pitti Filati

With the history of fashion both exhibited and being built upon by the designers of tomorrow, this is an inspirational week at the Fortezza for both members of the industry and the general public to experience.  It’s time to get ready to shop, because the 33rd edition of the Vintage Selection is making its grand return to the city of Florence.  Though only open to buyers and press, the Pitti Filati will display the knitwear designs of upcoming winter fashion, as well as the methods and materials used for creating the products.

January 23 – 27: VINTAGE SELECTION NO. 33: MIND THE BOX, Fortezza da Basso, Viale Filippo Strozzi, 1.  Open Wednesday – Sunday 9 am – 8 pm.  Admission €5; discount voucher available on the website.

Opening for the first time for a winter edition in Fortezza da Basso in the beautiful Cavaniglia Pavilion, Vintage Selection brings in shoppers, stylists, and fashionistas alike to check out what will be displayed and sold at this festival. On display will be a variety of costume jewelry including clip-on earrings, a colorful array of coats and jackets, plus a selection of little black dresses adorned with sequins and brocaded patterns at a plethora of stands, interspersed with other potential finds.

This edition blends the fashion of the past and future, with the fair showcasing clothes, accessories, and shoes for inspired visitors to enjoy. Acting as a museum of past trends and reference for designers, the styles available for purchase and viewing will span decades, with items as far back as the 40’s all the way to the 90’s. Featuring leather jackets, purses, knitwear, dresses, rows of sunglasses, belts of different skins and colors, this exhibition acts as an upscale thrift store treasure hunt for those who venture to look for that perfect vintage piece.

With names such as Pucci, Armani, and Versace gracing Vintage Selection, old and used clothing—both brand name and no-name—is becoming the new standard for quality and sophistication. To find an Hermés trench or a worn-suede Gucci bag in a historic city is a special experience.

Many of the vintage items featured at the showcase are by famous labels such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci, Chanel, Prada, designed to attract visitors who won’t want to miss a chance to own vintage couture.  Items will come from a variety of vendors from across Italy and international locations, including A.N.G.E.L.O., Dogana Vintage, Jewels of Fantasy NYC, PX Military Vintage, Street Doing Vintage Couture Firenze, and numerous stylish stores. Local shop Giratempo Vintage is haven for retro-lovers who wish to turn heads and wear a work of art. The store has featured merchandise including trendy Beverly Hills Blues bomber jackets, Versace evening dresses and an impressive choice of Moschino, Fendi, and Trussardi ties.

As a bonus, there is also a section called Remake, which will sell garments that have been transformed and restored using innovative techniques. While the show focuses on the history of fashion, the Vintage Selection works in conjunction with the Pitti Filati, the exclusive fashion show of the future, found in an adjoining area of the Fortezza da Basso.

January 23 – 25:  PITTI FILATI knitwear and yarns trade show.  Fortezza da Basso.  Open only to industry representatives, buyers and journalists.

At Pitti Filati, the catwalk in the Sala della Ronda will feature collections by nine international students from the First Level Master’s Degree course in “Maglieria, Creative Knitwear Design” of the Accademia Costume & Moda in Rome on Wednesday, January 23 at 5:30 pm. Each presentation has partnered with a design company and follows a theme for their designs, incorporating the theme of winter sports and knitwear into their shows. In their fashion creations, the students seek to highlighting the ideals of their co-partnered brand while showing off the quality of their knitwear.

As an add-on to Pitti Filati, there will also be the Spazio Ricerca in the Salone M, which acts as the fair’s creative lab and experimental observatory, where trends for future seasons are launched. Sportswear is the center focus this year at Spazio Ricerca, and participants and guests are gearing up for exciting design predictions. Styles are drawing inspiration from the Far East and all its subcultures to gear up for the 2020 Olympic games taking place in Japan. Cutting edge sportswear fashion will be created and displayed here, and guests are looking forward to what will be unveiled.

Each year’s Vintage Selection follows a core premise reflected in the displays which connects it to Pitti Filati; this year’s is titled “Mind the Box,” inspired by the idea creativity brings a surprise, within an extraordinary container of intuitions and innovations that from season to season captures the newest vibrations of fashion and lifestyle, which are sometimes a reflection of the past.

Vintage Selection will feature a luminous layout to direct and accompany visitors. In harmony with the atmosphere of the Pitti Filati, there will also be decades of sport style epitomizing the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, reflected in the fair’s displays and graphic choices.  (cassie yeam/additional reporting by isabelle blank)