You need a strategy when the thermometer in Florence, Italy, creeps close to 100 and pedestrians hug the Renaissance buildings seeking a sliver of shade. These three gents attending the Pitti Uomo men’s wear fair — back in full force after two all-but-furloughed years — found ways not only to stay cool, but also to look it. Guy Trebay
Among the roughly 9,000 attendees braving the pitiless sun was Alberto Cordova, 35, a fashion retailer from Spain. Somewhere between graffiti writer look and the dandy style that long dominated the fair, there is a sweet spot and, in his PuroEGO trousers, vintage Moira shoes and bargain safari jacket from Mango, Mr. Cordova found it. Even a knotted vintage neckerchief looked cool — in both senses.
A colleague with deep roots in Mississippi recently pointed out that in any movie where Elvis Presley even gets near a car — “Speedway,” “Viva Las Vegas” — you’ll invariably find the King wearing a zippered jumpsuit. Maybe Igor Garanin, 46, the editor of GQ Russia, is a closet Elvis fan. “The simpler the better is my philosophy,” Mr. Garanin said outside an exhibition of Ann Demeulemeester’s work, and there was something ineffably cool about his squeaky-clean take on a grease monkey’s uniform, accessorized with North Face slides.
The safari suit was a 1970s survivor. The wide-collar shirt and Western hat were online finds. The leather sling bag had been unearthed the previous morning by the Tanzanian vintage dealer Hassani Abdullahi Mgoya, 31, at one of Florence’s abundant secondhand stores. The stylish inversion of a hoary colonial sartorial trope was Mr. Mgoya’s own.
Highly Considered is a column about what makes a great look — the ingredients, the confidence, the subtle styling moves and the certain je ne sais quoi.
