It can only happen in Pittiland. A poetic fashion moment with the creation of beautiful images rendered by stunning clothes in the garden of an original Medici villa overlooking Florence courtesy of Homme Plissé Issey Miyake. The pastel-colored collection in hues of yellows, reds and blues spoke of feather light construction and floated through the gardens. Held at sunset the architectural team set up a water sprinkler system which was designed to create rainbows and it worked. Such is the beautiful result when Japanese perfection meets Italian nonchalance in the name of fashion. And ultimately this is the standout factor of this fair called Pitti Uomo in its 108th edition. Held in the middle of summer just before the Milan and Paris seasons kick off it mixes commercial fashion at its fair booths with visionary moments which stay in people’s minds forever. We saw it from JW Anderson at a similar villa or Martine Rose in the Florence market over the years, the knack to pick the right designer is astonishing. The team around Lapo Cianchi and Francesca Tacconi simply have the gift and culture to do just that as Issey Miyake has slowly been rising under the radar as one of the industry’s most coveted labels. Pitti is political but more in a sense of its structure as a government agency promoting Italy, Tuscany, or the city Florence itself. But it has risen above that mere status by creating these fashion moments.

The standout Plissé styling?

The program notes did not identify a stylist, but this is what made this collection so exceptional. Shirts tied around the neck and waist on many outfits looked spot on as did the hosiery on some of the shorts-looks, which added a soft feminine twist to a clearly structured and tailored collection.

The rare humor?

Japanese collection often look at repurposing archetypes of clothing by reinterpreting shapes and showing off pattern making prowess. Of course, there was a raincoat that could perfectly fold into a weekend bag which was one of the looks, but the fun part was the garment bag with a hanger sticking out as headgear.

Promoting local Italian talent?

In the past, presenting as a guest designer has been the highlight of some careers, like Magliano or Aldo Maria Camillo, this time they chose Niccolò Pasqualetti to show his incredibly creative patterns in a collection of raw beauty under the scorching morning sun. Pasqualetti’s world is anchored by interpreting Italian sartorial codes which is a recurring theme here to provide intellectual interpretation about the future of suiting and sartorial codes.