From the Streets of Florence to The Traitors Castle: A January Menswear Recap
- Ethan Forbes
- Feb 8
- 5 min read
By Ethan Forbes
While us students were hibernating after another gruelling semester, the fashion world was ploughing into the new year full steam ahead. Trade fayres, fashion weeks, and even reality TV style have been flooding my feed. So, in order to make your life easier when trying to juggle keeping up with your most stylish friends and adjusting to academic life (tasks of equal importance if you ask me), I’m going to give you a quick recap of what I think are the key menswear moments from January.
Pitti Uomo
The highlight of my January will always be when all my favourite menswear content creators jet off to Italy to attend a bi-annual menswear trade fayre held in Florence. Pitti is attended by everyone from fashion influencers, designers, and tailors to buyers looking ahead to the next season (in this case F/W26). There are various shows and presentations at Pitti, but what I think we should all be paying attention to is the varying style choices of the attendees.
The display of style being showcased at the event is second to none, and many people treat the event as a social opportunity; a chance to meet industry friends and share a negroni or two. Others get invited by brands and other types of work, or even as a photographer. The differing reasons for travel lead to outfits ranging from the practical (and, dare I say, more achievable) everyday looks, to some more outrageous, though nonetheless elegant and glamourous, looks. The peacocking that takes place at events like Pitti is often criticised by those outside of the menswear sphere for its extravagance. I say, what other excuse does a man have to really get dressed up these days? Go for it when you can!
One common falsehood that is often perpetuated by journalists about Pitti is that it is attended exclusively by Italians and offers an accurate representation of Italian fashion. This angle is usually relied on to criticise the slobbishness of some British and American everyday fashion choices by pointing to our more sophisticated European neighbours. An example of this is The Telegraph article by Stephen Doig titled ‘What British men can learn from how Italians dress in winter’. You’d think the men’s style editor for a major newspaper would know that an event held in Italy doesn’t mean it’s necessarily only ‘Italian style’ on display, right? The comments on the article also burst my bubble and served as a reminder of just how many men on the internet still hold a deep-seated resentment toward other men taking any interest in how they dress.
Overall, the highlight of Pitti this year for me was the ‘suit walk’ where over 200 people donned their suits and walked the streets of Florence. The suit walk stands out as a statement against fashion forecasts that have been proclaiming that the suit is dead due to its declining presence in the workplace. The walk highlights that the suit is alive and well, and created an awesome photo-op for menswear Pinterest boards everywhere.
Fashion Weeks
January is also host to some of the key fashion shows for menswear in Milan, Paris, and Copenhagen. The major highlight for me was by far from Milan where Palazzo Ralph Lauren was host to the label’s first exclusively menswear presentation in over twenty years.
The show stirred up quite the storm on social media and had many lauding Ralph’s mastery of the craft. Showcasing Polo and Purple Label, the presentation often combined preppy, sporty looks with elegant eveningwear. It is this combination of aesthetics that had me hooked. Ralph is not reinventing the wheel here, there are no groundbreaking designs or silhouettes, but the combinations of pieces, the layering, and the juxtaposition between the levels of formality are what make these looks special and unique. Ralph Lauren isn’t inventing anything new; they are marketing an aesthetic and a lifestyle, but their clothes are aspirational, and it is the styling that sells this to us and the styling which managed to catch the world’s attention.
However, what I commend some others condemn. Criticisms of the show also draw attention to the lack of originality. Examples include snow boots copied from brands like L.L.Bean, or the senior cords which pale in comparison to the version by Bode. Although, they are probably slightly more affordable, which is not something I’d ever think I’d be saying about a new RL collection.
There is a decent argument for the meaning being lost in some of these appropriations, and unlike Bode, there was no research team behind the design of the RL trousers, which means that the patches do lose some of the authenticity that makes them look so cool. And in my opinion, the blatant polo branding always looks a bit tacky, but I’ve never liked big bold branding of any sort. However, overall, the collection was so good that it’s going to take a lot more than some criticisms of plagiarism of appropriation to take down the granddaddy of American fashion.
This year also saw some sad moments, as Armani presented their first show without their founder, and Valentino also sadly passed away in January. These icons of the industry both leave behind impressive legacies that will be hard for designers of the future to live up to. In many ways this represents a changing of the guard at the big luxury labels. I for one am eagerly awaiting the debut presentation of Grace Wales Bonner as the new Creative Director of menswear for Hermes that is expected in 2027.
The Traitors
To round off, in January many of us were glued to our screens for season four of the hit reality show The Traitors. Throughout this season, all eyes were on the outfits of the contestants. One highlight for me was Matthew, who brought an impressive selection of knitwear with him to the castle to protect him from the Scottish elements. If I wasn’t already committed to the search, I am definitely on the prowl now for a fair isle sweater vest!
And you can’t mention fashion and The Traitors without talking about the winner Stephan Libby. From his high waisted trousers with wide legs, to his Harry Styles-esque jumpsuits, and not to mention those facial expressions! The attention from the show has propelled him into interviews with anyone and everyone, not only from fashion outlets such as Esquire, but from mainstream news sources like the BBC as well.
In one interview, he mentions people getting in contact with him to express their gratitude for inspiring them to try a new style! Hailing from the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides also serves as a reminder that great style can come from and flourish anywhere. From personal experience, I believe that his penchant for jumpsuits was definitely influenced by the boiler suits of Lewis islanders.
Hopefully this whirlwind tour of what was going on in January in the world of menswear has got you feeling up to date. At the very least, you’ll know what I’m blabbering on about to unwilling ears as I procrastinate these first few weeks of uni.
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