Wtfoffers Years ago, when I first read about Pitti Uomo, it seemed pretty cool. An opportunity for guys to dress up and be in Italy and talk about clothes. I never thought I would travel so far and take an entire vacation just to go to parties, wear clothes, and hope someone takes a picture…but here I am.
I met all of Pitti’s big names, some of whom I already knew. And I met some of you: dozens of…um, fans? do you have it fan?He came over and introduced himself and told me how much he liked my videos.? I don’t know if this is a stranger or some random person approaching me on the New York City subway. I’ve met friends I’ve made all over the world…but I’m getting too far ahead of myself.
Pitti was everything I had imagined and Milan were also pretty good in their own way. I’ll try to share as much of my experience as I can, but it may sound like I’m rambling. I live like that sometimes too.
I am writing this partly for those who are concerned and partly for myself. I want to remember this trip and this is one way I can do it. If you enjoyed reading it or learned something from it…that’s all just a bonus.
I arrived in Milan on Sunday morning. It turns out my friend Matt was also on the same plane. We took a few trains to get to Florence, where he suggested I take a taxi to my Airbnb. It wasn’t a very long walk, so I thought it would be manageable… Just to be clear, don’t try to drag multiple bags through Florence’s narrow, uneven streets and “sidewalks” that are barely fit for a person.
But on the other side of that ordeal, I found myself in a beautiful place. Florence is an old Italian city in your head, injected with modern touches everywhere: modern stores, trams, and lighting. The nights were mainly lit by string lights, fairy lights, and the rest of the Christmas lights, rather than modern street lights. You can call it whatever you want. Several street names were spelled out in these lights. All of that made things feel a little more magical.
I was alone for dinner the first night and was too tired to actually research and decide where to go. Instead, I went into a random place across the street from the not-so-nice cell phone store I stopped at…I’m pretty sure the cacio e pepe was microwaved, the sauce was hot, and the pasta wasn’t microwaved. Oh, and I had a total of one bad meal in Italy.
In fact, Monday was our first and only free day of the trip. I was disappointed because I didn’t have a clear plan. I quit airbnb and gave myself cornet (It’s a cross, but it’s not actually a crescent, it’s an Italian word, cornet) and wandered south.
I don’t know where I was planning to go initially. As I strolled past the Duomo (pronounced “big fancy church in the middle of town”) toward the river, stopping at some interesting shops along the way, I received a text message from a friend informing me that Brooklyn’s Raggedy Threads were hosting a pop-up event that night at Clochard 9.2, a Florentine vintage shop with a unique take on Americana. It might be an interesting place to start a full-fledged trip to Florence, but I crossed the bridge, crossed the beautiful river, and wandered to the store. It’s too early for the event, but let’s take a look.
Afterwards, I wanted to go to Stefano Boehmer and see some nice custom-made shoes. I stopped for lunch (much better) at a random place on Google Maps on my way there (I was still eating pasta… I know, I know, Florence is more about meat). I stopped by for gelato on the way home. Fun fact: I somehow didn’t gain weight in Italy. We ate like kings and everything was fine. The food here needs a serious overhaul (as opposed to the disingenuous overhaul currently being attempted). Anyway, Stefano Boehmer was great.
For those who don’t know, Stefano Bemer is a bespoke shoe manufacturing company based in Florence. They make the absurd shoes pictured above. This includes the middle model, Khamai, designed in collaboration with The Anthology. I have admired those shoes for years. There was a master shoemaker working at the front of the store, so I was able to try on some shoes. For anyone wondering what someone would buy me for my birthday, I’m 40.5 years old.
I staggered back to the Airbnb, throwing on a bow tie and a reckless white silk scarf to make my outfit look appropriate for the evening (I could only pack one dinner jacket, a real travesty). Then I went to Michael Andrews and Angel Ramos’ party at the St. Regis. Since I don’t like the way I fit (some would say I do; I’m not my own worst critic, but I’m pretty harsh), here are some other photos from Instagram.
Kickoff party! The first of many creative black tie affairs, an opening salvo of bow ties and booze, and (aside from the breakup) it was a blast. I met more than one of my seamstresses (what is my life?), drank, laughed, got some harsh words from a man three times my height, met many of my internet friends (like Claire)…life was good. The next day Pitti Uomo began in earnest.
On my first day in Pitti, I arrived at Forte Basso relatively early (bearing in mind that I had flown in from New York). I met many friends. Friends from New York, friends from across the industry, influencers, people I knew online but never met in person… we all spent a little time at Fortezza catching up. I also got to meet new people like the Natalino boys.
I also looked at some of the booths. I received a photo, but apparently I’m not allowed to do that? Some brands love free publicity, while others make a fuss when they announce next season’s clothes early. In fact, one very traditional brand got very upset when I took pictures of their shoes. absolutely That exact model has been on the website probably since it was created.
Anyway, I’ll walk you through some of my highlights. words. Barbour makes everything with tartan plaid. all. I’m sure they already have a lot going on, but this one caught my eye at the booth. Great styling was seen at the Sebago and Woolrich booths. This is most of what we saw on the first day before setting out for the suit walk.
Walking around in a suit… well, Vogue wrote about it here. You can barely see me in one of the group photos, but it’s kind of like a group of us walking around Florence in suits. Now, it’s being tailored. In fact, I think I was the only one without a tie. I was wearing a tweed jacket and a barely visible scarf under my balmaccan, but it was a bit cold so I refused to loosen it. I tried raising the collar of the jacket and fluffing the scarf a bit, but it probably just looked like one big coat.
We met Louis at the beginning of the walk, which was incredible. Looking back…that happened over a dozen times, and I met over a dozen people that I was looking forward to meeting. I also met Luik on the walk…and I think there were a few others too, which was fun. There was a post-walk after-party event nearby, set to start an hour and a half after the walk, and you needed an invitation to join, so…I don’t know what it was.
Instead we just hung out by the Duomo for a bit. I told Manish about one idea I had for fit checks and was surprised to hear that he was interested in it. I am very happy to have Manish swearing in front of the camera. He is a wonderful, warm and friendly person, especially interpersonally.
Next, I went to 100 Hands. I met Jack at some point, probably at Fortezza. I don’t know when, but he asked me to stop by. They make shirts for you! But you see, I like to tease you with my requests. But you might Also Know what 100 Hands really makes, Really good shirt. This looks like it would be a nice shirt.
I also met Peter when I was there. He wore a Nina Penlington Bespoke Western suit. The suit excited people beyond belief and became one of Pitti’s biggest hits.
And then off to the party at night. This was a night in Pitti I I didn’t Get creative and party with black tie options. I went to dinner at Osteria la Vigna (a great little spot that I recommend as much, both because it’s a small new restaurant that can get some attention, and because the pear and mascarpone dessert I had there was probably the best I had on this trip). Partly because it was close to a casual party I had planned at WP Archivo. But when I got there, someone invited me to Plaza Uomo on the spot.
The one at Plaza Uomo was by invitation only. It was The black tie incident, I was overall I wasn’t ready, but I was the only one who cared about that fact. Damn, missed opportunity. I have no choice. It was held at a beautiful venue whose name I’m sure everyone knew, and as usual, the models and photographers took advantage of that knowledge and took pictures. I was able to spend time with Kamau and Nina the night they met. They should have known each other already, but I don’t think anything happened until Pitti.
Afterwards, we went to the place where travelers from all over the world hang out every night when they visit Florence…yes, Fiddler’s Elbow, an Irish pub in Piazza Santa Maria Novella. Now, does that make sense? No, but is it fun? yes. Everyone comes here from fancy events they were attending and spends their free time. that’s great.
I spent the whole night with Oscar and Erin from Milkvist. I had so much fun with them throughout the trip and they also kept providing me with water. Water deserves special attention. You can drink as much alcohol as you want at these events, but do you ask for water? Suddenly we have an impossible problem.
Now, Fiddler’s is supposed to close at 3 a.m., at which point the rest of the insomniac crew has to go to a club that stays open until 6… That’s a whole different situation, I prefer sleep. This was the cause of Thursday night’s conflict…but more on that later.
I was Assumption He was supposed to start his second day with a fit check with Peter, but a niche Americana brand wanted to do a fit check with Peter instead, so he ended up heading to Milan a little early. I think that’s a valid excuse. i guess.
Instead, I browsed around the Fortezza brand booth. Again, I don’t think I should be showing what brands are going to do…but here’s what I’m doing can please show me.
I met two giants of Japanese men’s clothing and incredibly well-dressed men: Hirofumi Kurino and Shuhei Nishiguchi. Kurino doesn’t actually run his own IG. I don’t know if he uses it at all, but Shuhei Nishiguchi recognized me. It feels like my only true claim to fame. Who cares how many followers I have?
As for the outfits… Innis Mane is still doing great, as is Luciano Barbera (they’re playing mostly to the financial guys these days, but you can’t blame them). One of the booths where Mr. Kurino is devoting all his efforts was working on this protein-based wool substitute fiber. And…one photo I couldn’t resist sharing on my IG story:
That night was a WM Brown negroni party at Harry’s Bar. this is genuine (Creation) Black tie incident. There was one event where you wish you could just show up in a black tie every night, and this was one of those events. everyone appeared. that’s good.
I wanted a martini, and fun fact, this is more or less a Negroni minus the Campari (perhaps with a different ratio of gin to vermouth) (and also a separate glass and garnish, if you care about those things). But, like every Negroni-focused men’s wear event I’ve ever attended, for vague and annoying reasons, they refused to make me a martini. But they poured me a glass of gin. I am a fan of the gin sponsor, Isle of Harris Gin. They recently sent me a bottle (I asked for it because I liked it). Yeah. That’s it.
Oh, and I got to hear Jacques Soloviere’s Alexander Paes Guerra sing his signature rendition of Dos Gardenias. And Brian Sacawa from He Spoke Style played the saxophone. He did the same thing Monday night at a party he co-hosted, did I mention that?
And I could listen to even more jazz while drinking gin in proper evening wear at the bar of a beautiful and famous hotel in Italy. It was a very good night in my book. Let’s do it in New York, Matt.
Of course Claire and I had fun mogging it up:
But you know what else was the highlight? I met Nigel Cleaver! I told him I was a big fan. Then he said he was a big fan of mine because we live in a very confusing timeline. So much positive energy… so much fun watching him talk about clothes and him seeing this bald American hater… plus it just made me even more confident that I’m doing something worthwhile here.
Again, the night ended with a trip to Fiddler’s. There was more music and Pitti’s band played a wonderful rendition of the March of the Saints outdoors. They were asked to stop or neighbors might call the police. they didn’t stop.
Oh, and that was the night I realized this was the same city where I killed everyone in Assassin’s Creed. Same Duomo and everything. Neat.
On my way to the Duomo on the third day, I met yet another internet personality. That person is someone I have liked for a long time. That’s Charles Yap from The Decorum. And in case you weren’t aware of the pattern, I might add that he noticed me too.
We took pictures of each other. This might be the best full-body photo of the entire trip. Thank you, Charles.
I spent most of the morning by the Pitti wall. People took a lot of pictures of me and the capital jacket. I had one or two interviews. I had a good conversation with a few people there, including Brian Sakawa (yes, the saxophonist) and Mitchell Moss from Menswear Musings… Corey from Michael Andrews was wearing a crazy chunky navy blazer in an alpaca blend from Domueil… Generally speaking, alpaca seems to be the new fiber that everyone has been paying attention to in the last few years. it’s good.
And Mitchell said reporters will be given a free lunch. Yes, I found out on the last day. Fuck. The food was delicious and they didn’t skimp on anything.
I saw some great fits that day. Dirk, whom I met the day before, was wearing old-fashioned tailoring. And Thrash became the subject of a live episode of FTOFT.
Afterwards, we took a detour to see a little more of Florence. In particular, I visited the Sinagoga e Museo ebraico Firenze, a synagogue and Jewish museum in Florence. It was beautiful and featured an architectural flourish rarely seen in synagogues. Oh, I have to take the tram too! I shouldn’t have taken the bus, but I arrived at my destination anyway.
That night was J. Muser’s party. This wasn’t exactly a black tie, but it was a small event. I put on the camel hair sports jacket they made for me (the same jacket I wore as a midlayer all day), and was planning on heading out with a rose cord and a black turtleneck. Unfortunately, the party was mostly outdoors and it was raining. do not have He’s ready to wet the camel’s hair. I left my trench coat at home (it was heavy and I was worried about the luggage weight limit), but I brought a black Gore-Tex rain jacket from Haven. It did its job and kept me dry, but it didn’t make my outfit distinctly Pitti-y. So we didn’t have a clear photo of the jacket, just the mid layer photo above.
Oh, that was fun.
I too couldn’t sleep until 4am because Nick got involved in some Illuminati type crap, but that’s not my story to tell.
Friday was technically the last day of Pitti and also technically Milan Fashion Week, but my day was more about traveling and exploring than either of those events. I managed to get up, pack my things and head back to Milan. The AirBNB there was much better than the AirBNB in Florence, and I guess that’s to be expected. Milan is a more modern city.
After settling in, I made plans to visit Cova with Simon. Conveniently, it was close to a small ganglion with excellent stores. I had a wonderful risotto, and after thinking about the dessert menu for about 2 seconds, the waiter told me I was ordering mille-feuille. He was right, but even if he was right, I didn’t have much of a choice. He was pretty persistent, which was kind of impressive to be honest. And he made the right choice. Recommended.
Afterwards, we visited some wonderful shops. Valentino stood out. After walking around for a while, we arrived at the END store. Well, there was an END store in Milan. It was definitely an enjoyable visit. Afterwards, we walked to Matt’s hotel. We had dinner and although the pasta wasn’t really Milanese, it was still great. Because, wouldn’t it be wonderful?—and we went to see the Duomo. I tried to take a picture of Dracula with his collar up, with the Duomo in the background…I didn’t get a good shot, but the important thing is that Milan’s Duomo is worth a visit.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t invited to any of the shows that night. I don’t think they actually announced that I would be there, so how would they know to invite me? But everyone loved Ralph’s show and I managed to get on the list for the next day’s presentation, so that was great.
When I got home that night, I found myself chatting with my friend Max. Max moved from New York to Zurich, about a year ago? It’s too long. Anyway, at some point we realize that he It was done Take the train to Milan any time. Ah, I’m sure he…
Now, I was going to use it as a fun little segue into day two, but Max didn’t arrive until the afternoon. And…Ralph’s presentation was postponed until after his flight home.
found it rear I’m wearing vintage Ralph Lauren flannel DB. If you know me, you know suits. I love that suit so I thought it would be perfect for the presentation. But no. This changed on Monday. It was supposed to be the perfect end to my trip…I’m still sad I missed it. Next year, if I’m lucky.
I did visit more stores! Highlights included Brioni (I’ve been to a Brioni store before, although I didn’t try many of them, but they had some great ones). Cesare Attolini (very exciting and nice shop, the mirror lighting for the sports jacket was unstable, but as you can see, the overcoat was great): and Jacques-Marie Mage.
I really enjoyed talking about the JMM store. The first thing I noticed was a nice little cafe in a small alley on Via Spiga. That street might be the first place you want to go in Milan. It’s brick-paved, cozy and full of great shops. (Later that day, I spent more time than I’d like to admit inside a Ralph Lauren store. There was nothing I hadn’t seen before, but this time… milan).
It took me a while to realize that the hidden cafe was Jacques Marie Mage Cafe. It’s part of their beautiful presence in the city. I looked around for a while and sat down to rest my legs. A minute later, one of the salesmen at the store came up to me and said, “Riley?” Interestingly, this is not my name.
I was confused for a moment until he explained. “Riley? Your glasses. Oliver Peoples?” For over 10 years, I’ve been wearing one dress every day. Oliver Peoples’ “Riley” and “Storm” colors. I twice had an eyeglass expert recognize and name this pair. This was opportunity number two.
He was very kind and knowledgeable. He knew all the coolest pairs I could try on. He was able to estimate my power and knew I needed a special high index lens. Other eyewear experts warned me that I couldn’t wear large-frame sunglasses because the oval lenses looked like goggles, but they assured me they could handle it. I’m tempted to splurge on a pair right now…
Anwi, after that shopping, I went to meet Max for lunch. Afterwards, we decided to attend a presentation. did You can join Pezzerico in Milan.
Peselico show
reel
Max ended up wanting to go to Dopia and I was happy to oblige. Their clothes had a fun texture and looked better on him than on me.
The staff was very helpful, but told us that the second floor is currently being used for presentations to buyers. Knowing that his friend Justin had bought a lot of Dopia at the Cueva Shop, Max made a witty comment asking if Justin was upstairs. They offered to check, but Max said it wasn’t necessary. What are the odds?
A few minutes later they came down and said… Okay, Justin’s upstairs, would you like to come see him?
Remember that Max abandoned His friend will live in New York Europe of all places. And remember, they weren’t scheduled to meet here. But even though high-speed rail in Europe has become so accessible and convenient…sorry Americans here, I’m still heartbroken by the horrors of public transportation. Why did they abolish all tram lines again?
This was also the first time I met Justin. He spends most of his time at Cueva’s Brooklyn store, and all events are held there, making it less convenient for me to go there. So I think we just met in Milan instead.
Our last stop before dinner was a thrift store. I’ll edit this post whenever I remember the name… They had a lot of Tom Ford, and… I can’t remember what else I tried on, but it’s Tom Ford!
I wasn’t sure what to have for dinner, so I looked around at some restaurants nearby. On my last night in Italy, I had pizza for the first time. The pizza is do not have It’s Milanese cuisine, but I’d be damned if it wasn’t delicious pizza.
After dinner we somehow ended up back at the Duomo. It’s not just a cool building, it’s the heart of the city. There were two very famous bars in the nearby shopping center: Campari bar and Aperol bar. I hate Campari, but we went for the former. It was a nice bar, with great views from the upper floor area, and soft jazz and waiters in dinner jackets flowing.
And I ordered a martini.
I flew home the next morning. I was satisfied with my trip, but there was still so much I wanted to see. Next time I go, I’ll probably do really well and get invited to some presentations. But for now…it’s been a great trip. Thank you for reading. cheers.
