Pitti
Immagine is back in full swing for the biannual Pitti fashion fair, the event
for getting a sneak peek into the trends an entire year before they appear on
window mannequins and shop shelves.
The event is spectacular: thousands of
international designers, trend-setters, and aesthetes are looking at the most
cutting-edge tailoring techniques and fashion ideas in the world. Everything
from the avant-garde and impossible-a-porter to the entirely prêt. In short, it
is an amazing view of the most profitable product of artistry, not to mention
Italian excellence in the town where Italian fashion first hit the runway.
But
only those special few thousands are allowed that sneak peek: an entry pass is
pretty hard to come by if you’re not a designer, VIP, buyer or boutique owner
in the ‘biz.’
Your
best bet to get in? Find a friend with a press pass. In this small town, the
odds are you know someone who works at or owns a shop, blogs about fashion or
(wink-wink) works at a newspaper. Even someone who bartends at a Pitti event
might be able list you at a designer aperitivo or DJ set.
However,
even if you have no ‘in,’ the following are a few ways to enjoy Pitti from the
outside.
Go
people watching. The ‘Pitti people’ in town for the fashion trade fair will be
everywhere, especially in via Roma, piazza della Repubblica, piazza Strozzi,
via Tornabuoni and the San Niccolò area. You can spot them easily: they are
either sporting press passes or look like they just stepped off the runway and
onto the streets, and are headed to another runway poste-haste. It’s okay to
gawk, for although they will not likely look at you, they know you are looking
at them. Our advice? Become your very own Sartorialist (see TF 93 for details).
As the inventors of next year’s trends, the Pitti people are likely to already
be wearing them, so snap a shot, take some mental notes and go trend-spotting.
Go
to one of the officially open events (for a full list, see http://www.pittimmagine.com, and look
for the yellow link to the ‘Calendario Provvisorio’), such as these:
You
may not be an official buyer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some
quality shopping. For the occasion of Pitti Uomo, the Velvet Circle, a Pitti
Immagine media partner in the past, has organized The
Fashion Lounge, where women will have their pick from pieces by
Florence-based independent and artisan designers as well as some trendy
Florentine boutiques. Held at the Casa della Creatività, the Fashion Lounge is
rigorosamente Made in Italy and just for women. Consider it something special
for the girls. This veritable ‘shopping party’ gives free entry (yet the
clothes cost money) on June 15 and 16 from 6pm to 10:30pm.
Although
not a Florentine brand, Fendi, with its long tradition of artisan handiwork in
its pieces, will host a design event focused on discovering ‘Fatto
a Mano [‘Hand-Made’] for the Future‘ during Pitti on June 15 and 16. If
you stop by the store on via degli Strozzi during their opening hours (10am to
7:30pm), you’ll see a live performance design event in which an artisan will
work alongside a contemporary designer, creating futuristic, modernistic
structures that aim to understand what hand-made will look like, in the future.
Definitely worth a look, especially when paired with Fendi’s amazing,
trend-setting pieces in the backdrop.
Pitti
people like to unwind after a long day under the sun at the Fortezza with
cocktail events throughout town, which are held in their honor. The only one we
found that doesn’t require an invite is at the historic Colle
Bereto locale in piazza Strozzi. They’ll fete designer
Blauer with a cocktail and DJ set on June 14, starting at 9pm. Get there early,
and if you tire of the crowds, get in some late-night shopping at the next
event on our list.
In
an unusual move, the heretofore always-exclusive Pitti fashion fair, RCS
MediaGroup, in collaboration with Pitti Immagine, will host a White Night of
sorts, Firenze & Fashion, on the evening of June 14 in the
historic center. Shop ‘til you drop or fall asleep: the stores will be open
well past your bedtime, from 6pm to midnight, offering libations and music to
passersby. Start by visiting the RCS mega-tent in piazza della Repubblica
around 6pm, find out which stores are participating, then start your excursion!
What did you find?
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