My third and last day of Pitti Uomo 93, Fall/Winter 2018-19 collections held some surprises. Most were pleasant, welcomed discoveries of designers who hadn’t been on my radar, and now forever more will be. Yet one, at the very end of the day was a disturbing reminder that the #MeToo movement needs to evolve, and include models, young men and children. If we don’t protect every victims — not just the attractive women stars of Hollywood who are looking for a second wind in their career — we are failing allthe injured.
Read MoreThe Pitti Uomo 92 Diaries: Why #iamHUGO This Year in Florence
It’s interesting how different people can view a space in different ways. I mean, this time last year at Pitti Uomo we were watching the Gosha Rubchinskiy show at the Manifattura Tabacchi — a Fascist era tobacco factory near the racetrack in Florence. Within that setting, the Russian designer presented a daytime vision of boys framed by the rundown buildings of the abandoned manufacturing plant. The look was very Pasolini, both in the style of the clothes and the spare feel of the surroundings.
Fast forward a year, almost to the date, and I found myself once again within the same tobacco factory grounds, this time at night, and for the HUGO show. But even if the address was the same, the venue had been transformed into a hauntingly theatrical setting, a place alit with fire circles burning, lanterns hanging from a tall tree and smoke spewing out of broken windows, at uneven intervals. I expected Tina Turner in her ‘Mad Max’ costume to peek out of one of the red lit windows at any time.
Read MoreThe Pitti Uomo 92 Diaries: Christian Louboutin Brings Sport and Glamour to Florence
“Please excuse me if I will speak in English but my Italian is very tiny.” So shoe designer extraordinaire Christian Louboutin kicked off the Bike Polo tournament named after him in Florence. From early morning on Tuesday, June 13th, eight teams of three players from around the world battled for the win in the Piazza S. Maria Novella, in front of an iconic Florentine church.
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