street style
By ALFONS KAISER, photos: HELMUT FRICKE
November 1, 2022 How should a man actually dress?
The men at the Pitti Uomo fashion fair in Florence and at the men's shows in Milan should know.
Or?
MAURO MUNARO
is that a bib
A shield?
Or just for fun?
Mauro Munaro cannot say for sure himself.
It is precisely the ambiguity of the piece of fabric with the four thick buttons hanging on two wide braces that makes it so interesting.
Mauro actually works for a manufacturer of roof top tents.
He also founded Sbretella, his own brand, which mainly produces and sells this unisex accessory: sometimes in colourful, sometimes in black, sometimes with a small bag on it.
The thirty-eight-year-old from Lake Garda doesn't hang his tag too low, as befits a real brand: "It's an accessory that represents my personality." And in times when men no longer wear jackets and ties, is a bib might not be a bad idea.
SHAYNE TINO
According to his agency, Shayne Tino is "Australia's Virgil Abloh."
After all, he has a sure sense of style and versatile creativity in common with the deceased fashion designer.
Shayne mixes cheap (Zara pants) with expensive (Louis Vuitton bag).
The goal in life of the "Creative Director", as he calls himself now: to build his own fashion brand.
So far, the twenty-seven-year-old has mainly worked as an influencer.
But quite successfully: he has 50,000 followers on Instagram and works with many fashion and beauty companies.
That in itself is a big step for him: “I grew up poor in Zimbabwe.
Back then I always wore second-hand clothes.” He has long outgrown these things.
SAMUEL TROTMAN
Today of all days he's not wearing jeans.
Samuel Trotman is one of the best jeans connoisseurs - he worked as a denim expert for the trend consulting company WGSN.
But if one thing is certain in his life, it's the change.
So today, paired with Converse sneakers, loose fitting trousers by Rick Owens, “it's too hot for the jacket that goes with them”.
"Self expression" is the most important part of his style, says Sam, who primarily tracks trends for streetwear blog Highsnobiety and his Instagram account Samutaro.
Today he expresses himself in a crochet top from Our Legacy.
For the thirty-six-year-old, this is a natural part of his "soft masculin style".
Many other men would find it too transparent.
ANDREA MALVICINI
On the way to the men's fashion fair in the Fortezza da Basso, Andrea Malvicini comes through the park with a colleague.
They are in a hurry, they want to see brands, spot trends, order clothes.
Because they work at Borghese Abbigliamento, a fashion store in Acqui Terme in Piedmont.
Andrea makes an impression.
Is it the thick Rainer Hank glasses?
The casually open Xacus shirt?
Is it the slim-fitting pants, the Incotex jacket, the pristine white Dockers shoes?
Or is it just the easy swing with which he throws his beautiful leather bag over his shoulder?
In any case, Andrea doesn't look like he's 50 years old.
But he is.
At Borghese Abbigliamento, they know how to make themselves look younger through fashion.
EMILIO MENDEZ
The hand-dyed tunic is from India, he bought it in London, and it's easy to wear here in Florence because it ventilates well in the heat.
But Emilio Mendez from Guatemala didn't come here to be the center of attention.
As an architect, the fifty-five-year-old works on “urban transformation”, i.e. the remodeling of cities.
And because it's often about fashion, food and entertainment, he visits the fashion fair for new ideas.
Tomorrow he flies to Berlin, another city for new impressions.
A few days later, an Instagram photo will show him sitting in the Berlin S-Bahn, carrying a bicycle, and thinking about "intermodal mobility".
In any case, the tunic is suitable for all types of locomotion.
KENTARO NAKAGOMI
Kentaro Nakagomi's style only becomes apparent at second glance.
The inconspicuousness is well calculated, look at the raised collar!
Until Corona paralyzed his business, Nakagomi had his own menswear brand, Orbium.
This time he no longer has a stand at the Pitti Uomo fair, he is here as a buyer for a Tokyo menswear store.
The jacket is his brand, the shirt is from a vintage shop, the pants are tailored.
"And when you're wearing a hat," he says, "then you have to be able to forget you're wearing it." The rest of the look is just as natural.
It used to be called understatement.
CHRISTIAN MORGIA
The trend for tight-fitting trousers is over anyway.
Then why not go all out?
So Christian Morgia wears pants whose name already has the length of a sneaker: Adidas Ivy Park Denim Wide-Leg Snap Pants.
The twenty-two-year-old, who describes himself as “non binario”, sits at the source as a salesman in the Nencini Sport store in Calenzano (Tuscany);
Converse sneakers, Versace glasses.
The gag on the shirt from the Collusion brand: the wide sleeves are the answer to the wide trouser legs.
In general: a half-sleeved shirt!
You used to be able to joke about IT consultants screwing around on computers in checkered shirts with short sleeves.
Since Christian Morgia that is no longer possible.
It all depends on what you do with half measures.
PAPY TSHIFUAKA
The serious facial expression is in contrast to the light summer suit?
That may be the case, but it is only a first impression.
Because Papy Tshifuaka explains his style in a very friendly manner: suit by Raffaele Caruso, tie and handkerchief by Brioni, shoes by Santoni, tinted glasses by Jacques Marie Mages, light straw hat by Cappello, Rolex Submariner.
Everything has a name, everything has a meaning.
But the brands are not an end in themselves.
The fifty-year-old, who comes from Congo and lives in Brussels, works as a consultant in clothing matters: "You can bring people together with style," he says.
And: "I like to be elegant." Even at the men's fashion fair, he stands out with it.
Hardly anyone here is dressed conservatively and elegantly anymore.
JORDAN BERRADA
If you look like Jordan Berrada, you can't do much wrong.
And then the twenty-year-old, who studies marketing at the University of Miami and works as a model, also does a lot of things right when it comes to fashion.
Because with the more conventional parts of his look, i.e. the Levi's jeans with a slight flare and the white t-shirt, he combines original things like the Calvin Klein boots with metal toes and the checked shirt from the Marni collection for Uniqlo.
He often shops in vintage shops, including here in Florence, where he's studying for a few weeks on an exchange program with fellow students from Florida.
"You have to combine," says Jordan.
“A lot of things happen by chance.
In our class, I really wear something different every day.” That's how he stays in practice.
JOHANNES HUEBL
Formal and yet relaxed: That's Johannes Huebl's recipe in the Italian heat – and at home too, because he comes from Hanover but lives in New York, roughly on the same latitude as Naples.
The shirt hangs loosely over the trousers, two buttons remain open (“three open buttons only on the beach”), and stockings are not needed in summer.
The forty-four-year-old, who travels a lot as a model, influencer and photographer, always has a choice.
Here in Milan, at the presentation of the Kiton brand, he wears Kiton, of course.
He can also often be seen in Loro Piana and Brunello Cucinelli.
These are luxury brands that understand lightweight suits.
This is how Huebl, who often works in Milan and Paris, gets through even the hottest fashion shows.
SALVATORE CANTE
Salvatore Cante knows his way around the visual: On Instagram you can discover him as an ambitious portrait photographer.
No wonder "Salvo" knows how to present himself.
His trousers are from Japan, his t-shirt from Blue Blanket.
The robust shoes from Red Wings and the backpack from Campomaggi suggest that he is on his way to new destinations.
As the owner of the South Garage Motor Company from Milan, he is primarily interested in motorcycles - he loves Triumph models from Germany.
But in his shop, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, he also sells lifestyle products.
You can see it: this 62-year-old man has found his style, casual yet stylized, simple yet sophisticated.
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