When It Comes To Menswear, Italians Might Actually Do It Better

There's a revolution happening in menswear, and if you're watching close enough, you'll catch it. At Pitti Uomo, the Florence-based fashion week for men, recharged energy was in the air; of course, not too much — because Europeans just don't roll that way — but just enough to let anyone in attendance know that menswear has (finally) caught up. To much of the relief of naysayers, the spectacle brought together old and new: via its honoree, the American label Brooks Brothers, and a formidable base of Italian-based newcomers, like M1992 and Magliano. For lack of better words, it was fantastico.

Traveling at the light speed pace of the industry today, it can be hard to find the necessary time required to really take it all in. But in terms of fashion week formulas, Pitti Uomo nailed it. Venues were epic, wait times were reasonable (they didn't exactly start on time, per se, but at least they served wine while audiences queued up), and it seemed that, in addition to collections that actually added something to the scope of menswear, designers had time to conceptualize their shows. At last, a fashion show felt like a spectacle worth devouring, not just a blip of time in an overpacked schedule that called for a re-see.

What all of this signals for men may not mean very much on the retail level — especially seeing as most of these clothes will no doubt set fashion lovers back a few credit card payments — but it does signify that menswear isn't giving up. And that fashion, no matter how much of it men are buying into, can still be conceptual for the sake of inspiration. In the slideshow ahead, we narrowed it down to the best of what Italy has to offer. Outside of pasta, of course. Pasta is a whole 'nother conversation.