What inspires the tradition of Florentine fashion? FUL has reconstructed in an historical excursus about what influences – or has influenced over time – the style of the Florentines and what are the main characteristics of its clothing sector.
Fashion is born in cities and becomes the representative component of a place along with its monuments and neighborhoods, restaurants, shops and transport network. The urban culture in each city is as different as the way people dress. Every place has a recognisable style that allows one to almost accurately identify where a person comes from. Florentines, those who were born and have lived here for a long time, have a taste all their own.
Fashion as a cultural phenomenon cannot be mastered without knowledge of the context. Florence has earned and justified its status as the capital of the arts. They call it an open-air museum: it is rich in architectural masterpieces from different eras, so you should look around carefully as you walk. It is also rich in memories and traditions.
Thanks to schools specializing in fashion and art, new talented designers and stylists are constantly emerging here. Thus, contemporary Florentine fashion represents a unique combination of historical heritage, craftsmanship and innovation. It is a constantly evolving sector that adapts to changing tastes and technologies, but remains true to its roots.
Florence was the first fashion capital of Italy: after the fashion show held in 1951 at Villa Torrigiani, people began to talk about Italian fashion, although soon all attention shifted to Milan. But the Florentines did not give up and in 1972 the history of Pitti Uomo, Italy’s most famous men’s fashion event, began. Today it takes place twice a year and brings together designers and buyers from all over the world. The fashion industry in Florence has about 9,000 companies. The Tuscan capital has become the cradle of several important fashion houses, including Emilio Pucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci, Roberto Cavalli and Ermanno Scervino.
The sporty, minimalist and street fashion of recent times has almost deprived us of the ability to wear beautiful things in the traditional sense of the word, but the elegance of times gone by still remains in Florence. The first thing you notice when walking through its streets is that a special place in the city’s life is occupied by vintage.
Florentines like outfits from family wardrobes or from local shops and markets where you can find real treasures that have a unique story to tell.
They can be unknown garments as well as clothes from old Italian luxury brands, whose names are only known to fashion historians. Twice a year, the city hosts a vintage fair at the Fortezza da Basso that attracts all vintage fashion enthusiasts. Unlike the metropolises, there is no passion for excessive luxury in Florence.
If in Milan everything is pretentious and worn to perfection, the clothes of the Florentines are less flashy and not too conspicuous. They may even look a little negligent, though of course that is only appearance. Balance bordering on composure and light-heartedness is the unique quality of Florentines, which distinguishes their style of dressing.
Florentine elegance is simple, natural and even democratic, except for a subtlety that makes democracy very conditional. The important thing is that all materials are of the highest quality and the work of the craftsmen impeccable. It is advisable to use traditional methods as much as possible because hand-sewn garments are more comfortable.
Florentines give preference to tailor-made garments in local tailor shops and special things found in small shops scattered around the city’s alleys. There are countless craft workshops and showrooms. Particular attention is paid to details and small things that enrich the whole. Young, adult and old, Florentines know how to dress well, but they do not make a cult of their clothing and appearance.
They follow fashion trends and often create them, but do not make them the focus of their lives. There is still a lot of color in modern Florentine fashion, although black for women’s clothing will always be a timeless classic.
Among all the city’s inhabitants, a special place in the fashion Olympus belongs to the ladies of a certain age with their truly unique style. Everything that is certainly included in the fashion critics’ banned lists, these ladies wear in such a way as to leave one breathless. Combinations that can turn other people into parrots, these women justify them by their rich and delicate taste, nobility and enormous culture.
A love of jewelry is another important feature of the Florentine ladies’ style, while the obligatory attributes of Florentine gentlemen are scarves and hats that are always current regardless of the season. Instead of high heels, Florentines often prefer comfortable low pumps or sports shoes that do not detract from their elegance.
Fashion on the one hand is created by the environment, but at the same time it shapes it. Clothing says a lot about our background, our values, our taste and our lifestyle. Florence lives at a leisurely pace and that is why slow fashion reigns here.
Florentines focus on quality clothing and prefer the immortal classic to passing trends. It is definitely a city for those in love with fashion in its most orthodox sense. Style has a vital need for inspiration and our capital is an almost endless source of it. Fashion is at home here. It is a complex phenomenon that combines the symbolic system of creativity with the material system of production. Although Milan is the universally recognised capital of fashion, the textile, jewelry and leather goods industries are concentrated in Tuscany.
Thus good taste and passion for beauty are supported by a solid technical component that is part of Italian know-how.
Photos by Andrey Nastasenko
