Pitti Uomo Fashion Highlights: Taking Cover From the Chill In Coats, Cloaks and Capes

Pitti Uomo is one of the most influential menswear tradeshows in the world. Some 30, 000 fashion professionals — from buyers and designers to media — from around the world will descend on the city of Florence this week to check out what is coming down the pipe in the world of men’s fashion for next fall/winter.

Not only are the fashion shows, showrooms and exhibition halls the go-to places for the latest discoveries but the street style photos of the guests are often inspiration or newsworthy on what is going on in menswear.

You might be forgiven for thinking this is very insular — but make no mistake, the influence is such that, what happens here this week, will inevitably trickle down to your part of the world in the next year or so.

Since there is a chill in the air in Florence at this time of the year, the “Peacocks of Pitti” — as they are known — will strut about in their finest outerwear garments. The coat is the first garment that makes an impression and can signal an abundance of messages about your style, personality and mood.

Don’t forget, a coat can be your calling card.

Here, some examples from the wide variety of outwear sported at Pitti.

A boldly-patterned coat can be surprisingly versatile. Take this eye-catching oversized checked coat, for example. Not only would it cut it in the corporate world, but it also works for weekend outings paired with jeans and a sweater or thrown over sweatpants as you head to the gym. The key to that kind of versatility is this classic pattern.

Checks, tartans and windowpane patterns make for multi-tasking coats. But colourful whimsical prints like this western-themed print coat, while fun and eye-catching, have limited play in your wardrobe. But rest assured, whenever you bring it out, it will always brim with personality.

By definition, a coat is a protective outdoor garment with sleeves — virtually unchanged from conception. But today’s designers are redesigning this piece of apparel, albeit not just for the sake of redesign but to accommodate changing lifestyles and a changing climate.

Too often, we have days of wildly-fluctuating temperatures. Also, sometimes we have to spend an entire day in our coats, without removing it. Like the men at Pitti Uomo who might have to walk around an entire convention centre in their coats or attend a couple of  fashion shows indoors dressed in a coat. Say hello to the sleeveless coat — which hopes to bridge those hours indoors.

It’s not just the latest technological fabrications that will lead the way in the outwear of the future: radical fashion will also play a role.  Behold, the short-sleeve coat.

Then of course, there will always be the romanticists among us — those that love the look of pageantry and theatrics. And what better garment than a full length coat to bring a sense of drama to one’s outing?

There are 50 shades of grey here, so lighten up with greys in the shade of a dove and mix it with winter white for some gentlemanly elegance.

The winter months are dismal enough. So, how to brighten those gloomy days? Opt for icy hues.

If you’re a practical-minded soul who lives in a black coat, on those days when you need to lift the spirits, don’t forget the unbridled rapture of a scarf. It’s quite possibly the only thing that can steal attention away from a good coat.

Outerwear is the perfect garment to showcase textures. But why make it a singular fabric? A patchwork coat can be an artistic blend of surfaces and textures, making for a truly artistic-looking coverup.