French designer Marine Serre, one of the guest designers at this season's Florence men's fashion show, Pitti Uomo 106, chose the 15th-century Villa di Maiano – located in the hills just outside the city – to present its S/S 2025 collection. , which featured its most comprehensive menswear offering to date. Presented in the golden light of early evening, it was easy to understand why designers like Serre have long chosen to show at Pitti Uomo, despite the relative upheaval of transporting a collection across borders. There was as cinematic a setting here as possible, seeing models making their way through the Edenic gardens towards the hedge mazes below, while the spiers and domes of Florence provided a distant backdrop in the light of the evening declining. Then, the guests gathered on the lawns to aperitifand more than one of them expressed their desire to uproot themselves in the Tuscan countryside.
Pitti Uomo 106: highlights
Marine Serre said she was inspired by the glamor of Italian cinema for the S/S 2025 collection, which featured both men's and women's clothing.
(Image credit: Photography by Vanni Bassetti)
Serre said the collection was inspired by the glamor of Italian cinema, captured most artfully in the womenswear collection, a dramatic flow of confection-like dresses that were accompanied by the Italian tropes of scarves, lace and sails. They marked a step up from the crescent-shaped second-skin pieces that Serre has become known for and will likely please her famous fans. Other dresses, made from glued together hiking and tennis bags, recalled her earlier work with pieced and recycled clothing. It was clear that the setting had proven a source of creative inspiration for Serre, who seemed to be finding new freedoms away from Paris. A final white dress, decorated with the flags of Congo, Palestine and Sudan, recalled her first slogan “A radical call to love”. “The collection symbolizes a call for peace,” she said, noting that her models came from 25 different countries around the world.
Paul Smith presented his spring-summer 2025 collection, inspired by the uniforms of British artists, during an intimate presentation at Villa Favard
(Image credit: Photography by Astra Marina Cabras, courtesy of Pitti Uomo)
At another villa earlier in the week – the 19th-century Villa Favard, created by Giuseppe Poggi – Paul Smith, the season's other guest designer, reveled not in the grandiose or the cinematic, but rather in the he intimacy that Pitti Uomo offers (unlike Milan and Paris, a limited show schedule means more time to soak up a designer's collection). In one of the villa's gilded lounges, guests sat on stools as Smith discussed different looks from his latest collection. “I think the world has gone a little crazy with these shows all over the world,” he said, presiding over a room of guests and press. “I just think it lacks so much personality. So I said to myself: why not talk to everyone and show the collection? It was a clever way to present the Paul Smith S/S 2025 offering, inspired by the Italian cafes of Soho and their artistic patrons, putting the ever-charismatic Smith front and center.
To celebrate ten years of her Florence boutique, Margaret Howell presented a photography exhibition celebrating her Italian-made pieces
(Image credit: Courtesy of Margaret Howell)
Earlier in the evening, fellow British designer Margaret Howell hosted an equally intimate aperitif at her Florence store, marking ten years of the unique venue, located just steps from the Arno River. An accompanying photography exhibition saw classic Margaret Howell pieces exploded on posters around the store, each chosen for its links to Italian manufacturing, which Howell said he wanted to highlight (Italy accounts for almost half of the raw materials used by the brand, and 32 percent). hundred of the production of clothing and accessories). 'I have always chosen to work with specialist makers and weavers [and] Italy has an innate understanding of manufacturing and quality that is unique to our industry,” she said. “Opening a production office and a store in Florence allowed us to build stronger relationships and showcase their know-how.” In a show of support between two stalwarts of British fashion, Howell has joined Smith's aperitif hour at the specially built “Bar Paul” at Villa Favard, a few steps away.
At the show, Herno presented a comprehensive menswear collection designed to span multiple seasons.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Herno)
At the historic Fortezza da Basso, where the main men's fashion fair takes place each season, Herno presented his own brand of Italian craftsmanship (founded in Piedmont, northern Italy, it began with the manufacture of coated cotton raincoats and has become a reference in the field). expert in textile construction since). Transforming its long-standing pavilion at the show into a stripped-down space divided by enormous video screens, the brand's collection showcase illustrated the latest step in its evolution from outerwear expert to full-service fashion brand which meets the different needs of men's wardrobe. . That's why, although it was a S/S 2025 collection, the pieces came in a variety of weights: from seersucker sets for summer, to tennis clothes and swim shorts ( a new addition to the brand's roster) to warmer pieces and a range of knits – which Herno said were intentionally “transseasonal”, a clever argument for the international consumer traveling countries.
Making its debut at the show, Missoni's Spring/Summer 2025 men's collection featured pieces made on Italian artisan looms.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Missoni)
An equally comprehensive offering came from Missoni, which made its debut this season at the men's fashion show, having previously shown at the brand's Brera headquarters in Milan during the city's fashion week. Shown in the cool, salon-like interiors of the Construzione Lorenesei – a calmer enclave than the modern, bustling main pavilion – it has been described as a collection that “crosses occasions and situations”. A range of loose knit cardigans, some adorned with the classic Missoni zigzag pattern, were the focus of the collection, also imaginable worn with the collection's colorful swim shorts and sandals on a summer evening or as a layer enveloping in winter. A demonstration of craftsmanship occurred with the coatings of cobalt blue crystals on clothing, reminiscent of the shimmer of ocean waters, while intricate knitted jackets – some with panels of narrow lines of leather – were crafted on traditional craft trades.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Brunello Cucinelli)
At Brunello Cucinelli, there was a satisfying injection of color this season, notably in vibrant shades of peach that added new interest to the designer's classic silhouettes. This lightweight feel carries through to the collection, which includes loose, technical jackets (Cucinelli says the silhouette is inspired by '80s tailoring), airy mesh polo shirts and pleated white pants, as well as capsule collections inspired by tennis and golf. Suits, meanwhile, were cut with a narrower line, while accessories included Western-inspired belts, leather-trimmed espadrilles, and woven knit ties. The collection was celebrated with a dinner at Serre Torrigiani on the opening night of Pitti Uomo, where guests – including actor Jeff Goldblum and his wife Emilie Livingston – spilled out into the restaurant's terraced Italian gardens, first built in the 16th century and here lined with candles. dining tables. Considered Florence’s secret “oasis,” it was yet another of the unique cinematic settings that continue to give Pitti Uomo its distinctive appeal.
