Pitti 2011 like Sanremo 1963?

Among the main trends introduced at the 12th International Menswear Fashion Festival that took place in Sanremo in September 1963 there were jackets with no side slits, straight leg trousers, streamlined silhouettes and a return of gabardine suits.

All the main Italian tailors – such as Franzoni from Rome who included in his collection a rather flamboyant green coat with ocelot lapels and a carrot orange sport jacket – successfully presented at this event their collections.

Yet the most famous tailors at this event didn't end up being the very best ones. Less known tailors and craftsmanship coming from the provinces and even from small towns resulted the most interesting ones, among them Sabatino Sante from Bari who created a memorable dark blue/black coat; Chiesa from Piacenza who showcased a collection of elegant suits; Renato Ciardi from Naples and Pompeo Bizzarri from Bologna, both praised for the cut of their suits.

That edition of the festival was marked by lively debates about regulating the tailors' long working hours and about the damages the ready-to-wear market was causing to the made-to-measure industry.

The Pitti menswear tradeshow started today in Florence and, from what I have seen so far, the market is desperately flooded by a large amount of useless stuff (no, not another printed T-.shirt, polo or pair of denims, please!) and from the chats I had with designers, colleagues and friends, we are in desperate need of educating people to buying into quality rather than into quantity.

Yet I also managed to detect a very interesting trend: exactly like in that by now distant September 1963, the best products aren't presented nowadays by huge or extremely popular brands but by young and unassuming designers from different countries who are rediscovering craftsmanship techniques and producing small collections of handmade pieces.

One of them is Xavier Brisoux (more about his new collection "Variation on the Same Shape" later on) who even hand knitted (by himself) the cashmere iPhone cover to protect his USB key with press pack (one of those rare moments when you suddenly feel happy about being part of "The Press"…).

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