Pitti Uomo kicked off today under the rain, though the sun came back in the late morning (currently replaced by more rain).
From
what I have seen by walking around the place this early morning, the
best ideas aren't actually coming from the “trendy” section of the fair
where it looked as if too many brands had been "borrowing" from each
other a bit too much, but from the classic menswear section of the tradeshow that is
actually doing its best to rediscover its roots and origins.
One perfect example was the candy and sweets installation set up by Cantarelli to present its new menswear collection.
Inspired
by the Italian literary movement called "Dolce Stil Novo", the jackets
from the Spring/Summer 2011 collection - in a wide range of nuances
including beige, royal blue, indigo, acid green and soft yellow - were
exhibited next to sweets and candies in the same nuances or evoking the
same nuances.
As
candy floss was distributed around you realised there was also another
connection between the jackets and the sweets: some of the jackets from the
new collection weight indeed less than 200 grams as they are produced
in fine light wools or ultra-soft silk jersey.
Indeed
the collection actually includes the "Absolute Light Jacket" line,
featuring garments in blends of fabrics such as jersey, cotton, linen and hemp.
In previous years we have seen Ladureé macaroons being coordinated with specific fashion collections or designers such as Christian Louboutin collaborating with the famous French pastry shop.
Yet I still hadn't seen any kind of presentation that mixed sweets, candies and sugar bombs with menswear in such a striking way, it felt like looking at a very special and sweet Pantone colour book put together by a child. So what will your candy be and, above all, what will your jacket be?


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