It begins at whatever airport I connect through on my way from New York to Florence to attend Pitti Uomo, the premier men’s-wear trade show that kicks off the semi-annual men’s-fashion season. Whether I’m in London, Paris, Amsterdam, or Zurich, the flyers en route to the Tuscan capital can be divided into two sartorial categories: those who are going to “Pitti,” as it is called by insiders, and those who are not.
The civilians are clothed in dispiriting everyday garb—Americans in their stretched-out T-shirts and misshapen sweatpants in drab non-colors; Europeans in their neat polo shirts, blue jeans, and Nikes.
