Are you a Biennale, Design Week or Pitti Fashion Persona?

are-you-a-biennale-design-week-or-pitti-fashion-persona

From the Biennale’s vintage-loving art aficionados to Pitti’s eclectic peacocks, attendees of art and creative events are ready to showcase their fashion personas. Join us as we analyse the styles shaping these iconic gatherings.

are-you-a-biennale-design-week-or-pitti-fashion-persona

12/04/2024

By Rebecca Ceccatelli. Cover image by Rosy Ramirez.

Biennale, Design Week and Pitti Uomo: the official 2024 calendar of the most anticipated events in the Italian and international art and creativity scene has been released. Those who had been planning to attend these events were excited to mark their calendars until they realised that a scheduling conflict was about to occur. The visionary Venice Biennale and the soft-chic Milan Design Week have (coincidentally?) decided to open their doors on the same days, from the 16 to the 21 of April. While many complained about being torn between two cities and struggling to choose between the two events, some veterans are wisely looking ahead to June, already making plans to flaunt their finest attire at the timeless Pitti Uomo in Florence.
However, what caught our attention was not just the event itself but also the attendees who would be there. That’s why we have prepared a detailed description of the typical visitors who will be frequenting the centres of creativity in the upcoming months. Are you ready to identify yourself among them?

are-you-a-biennale-design-week-or-pitti-fashion-persona
Rosy Ramirez for I’M Firenze Digest.

Welcome to the Venice Biennale: a tote bag full of catalogues

At the Venice Biennale, the queues between one pavilion and another often become an integral part of the event itself, with people finding ways to pass the time while waiting. Complaints about the line, critiques of previously seen artworks, and discussions about prospects are all part of the minute-by-minute experience.
However, if you observe closely, you will soon notice a woman in her 40s trying to make her way through the crowd with her slightly tousled short hair and unique clothing, which she has carefully selected from vintage markets and paired with Birkenstocks on her feet and a tote bag slung over her left shoulder. The more time you spend around the Giardini and Arsenale spaces, the more you’ll notice that she is gradually becoming a cliché. Just then, while you’re eagerly awaiting to enter, a group of people on a guided tour with priority access to the Venice Biennale pavilion passes by. You might overhear a Milanese lady – impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, with her blonde hair neatly pulled back – questioning why they get to skip the line while she cannot. Although she may not express it in words, her gaze beneath her thick, tortoiseshell-framed eyeglasses speaks volumes, revealing her resentment. Flaunting elaborate rings on her fingers, she closes her jacket as she feels a light, cool breeze. Meanwhile, her partner, who seems to be a professor, tries to calm her down from beneath his thick moustache, asking her to be patient. After all, they still have the whole day ahead of them. It’s a fact that good things come to those who wait. If you lack patience, you can always use the technique of the girl who silently progresses through the crowd with her soft steps, helped by her Birkenstocks.


are-you-a-biennale-design-week-or-pitti-fashion-persona
Rosy Ramirez for I’M Firenze Digest.

Design Week in Milan: do penguins in suits want to attend free DJ sets? 

Who knows why a suit and tie are a must for admiring furniture? It’s a strange reality that doesn’t really have a logical explanation. During the Milan Design Week, amidst the many high-end design brand booths of Salone del Mobile, you may find yourself experiencing an unintentional trompe-l’oeil. The luxurious velvet fabric covering a sofa in the east wing of the fair can easily be mistaken for the respectable jackets worn by the gentlemen discussing the future of design. However, it isn’t their topic of discussion that catches your attention; rather, it is the repetitiveness of which they are a part. Some of the many visitors wander around, test designer chairs, and take a break in white shirts overlaid with jackets matched with elegant trousers and perhaps a tie that tends to stray from the basic colours of the outfit as the only distinctive sign that sets them apart.

Meanwhile, young students at Milan Design Week seek inspiration for their final exam project by checking out lamp prototypes. However, as they use their smartphones to capture photos for visual memory aids, they end up getting distracted by notifications about free DJ sets and party invites during the Fuorisalone at Milan Design Week. Fuorisalone offers an incredible array of events in all areas of Milan, which takes place on the same days as the Salone del Mobile, which is in the Rho Fiera trade fair centre. After all, mixing work with pleasure is never a mistake, and those fashionistas in search of the ultimate mundane event may find themselves outside the doors of the same parties in black high heels and a matching sheath dress adorned with dangling necklaces.


are-you-a-biennale-design-week-or-pitti-fashion-persona
Kristine Urban for I’M Firenze Digest.

Finally, peacocks fly to Pitti Uomo in Florence

While wearing elegant clothingmight be a must elsewhere, at Pitti Uomo, it’s a definite no-go. You may find yourself surrounded by people showcasing various styles and colours without a specific dress code. For instance, you might see a man, probably a model, wearing a blue jeans suit with subtle white stripes and a rib-high belt, not so different from those worn by American sheriffs. He might also be shielding his eyes from the sun with a large white western hat resting on his head and a scarf carefully knotted around his neck, achieving a deliberately messy style.

Next to him, you might notice a man who seems to be defying the laws of physics by sporting a structured coat with golden buttons in the scorching heat of June. He may be trying to hide his discomfort behind his narrow rectangular sunglasses, which he uses to observe not only the booths but, above all, the outfits of those around him.

However, you may be surprised to know that Pitti Uomo is no longer an event exclusively reserved for men. The fashion showcase now attracts anyone thirsty for a bit of extravagance and new cultural insights into the artistic field. Here, you will find a diverse range of styles, from streetwear to high-heeled sandals and even Adidas Samba. Thank God!

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