Pitti Ushers in the (Yup!) Fall 2013 Season

Fashion moves fast, indeed... A mere month out of the slate of spring shows and Fall 2013 is already upon us.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

Fashion moves fast, indeed... A mere month out of the slate of spring shows and Fall 2013 is already upon us. As is tradition, the season officially kicked off with the "Pitti" press luncheon, customarily held at one of the beloved Northern Italian eateries -- this time at San Domenico's SD26 at Madison Square Park. Pitti Immagine is the biannual trade fair in Florence, comprised of menswear Pitti Uomo, womenswear Pitti W, children's Pitti Bimbo, and textile fair Pitti Filiati, that will hold its 83rd fair January 8 to 11 of next year.

The headliners of this international production (40 percent of the vendors are international) are the guest designers: Kenzo will present the Fall '13 menswear collection, and Maison Kitsune will stage a preview of its Autumn/Winter 2013/14 women's collection (ironically, the decade-old Franco-Japanese brand started out as more menswear-based, but in recent years has extended its reach into womenswear). Both houses embody the "casual elegance" and "affordable luxury" that -- according to Pitti Chairman Gaetano Marzotto -- continues to sell strong even in a weakened international market. "Success," he told us before we tucked into our festive butternut squash ravioli entree, "means a strong innovation of product and a good relation between price and quality."

To no one's surprise, Opening Ceremony's Carol Lim and Humberto Leon have renewed the creative vision and vitality of Kenzo since taking over as creative directors of the French house in 2011. They are also honored to have landed this special spot on the Pitti calendar. "We're incredibly looking forward to presenting in such an international and dynamic marketplace," Leon told me over lunch. Other brands making their debut at Pitti will be Adidas SLVR, G-Star (which will show its fall/winter 2013 collection in collaboration with industrial designer Marc Newson), and Billy Reid.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot