The street style game at Pitti Uomo is serious. There's a courtyard in the middle of where all the trade shows are located, affectionately named “Peacock Alley,” where the best dressed guys strut their stuff between presentations. There's an art to the fashion happening on the streets of Florence: hierarchies, coordinated cliques, and a real method to the madness when it comes to getting shot by street style photographers. I observed the fellas in their natural habitat before diving in myself. Here's what I learned.
1. Find primo real estate on the wall.
The locations for peacocking in Pitti are very specific. You can be walking in or out of the venue itself, but that's incredibly pedestrian. The most desirable place to be photographed is a ledge where you can casually lounge in the main square of the Pitti grounds. You have to fight for the best position and there are some serious Mean Girls-style cafeteria rules. On my first attempt, I was unceremoniously pushed to the band geeks section, but I quickly flirted my way to the 'Plastics' table.
2. Choose your friends carefully.
I wouldn’t ever want to be the guy that messes up a beautiful Pitti tableau. Seriously, I am sure there is a penalty akin to death—or having to wear acid wash jeans for the entire next season. At Pitti, the men arrange their own photographs: They gather in handsome, outfit-coordinated groups, and they wait.
3. Get some reflective lenses, preferably blue.
Everyone was wearing some variety of blue, reflective sunglasses. Personally, I think they were probably all very unhappy that they were so popular. I mean, when you buy your bespoke Ray-Bans, you sort of expect you'll be the only one sporting them—that is, until you're at a gathering of the world’s most stylish men and realize they all made the same choice. But it's okay: Blue lenses ensure your photo will be snapped.
4. Look busy.
When peacocking, you have to have something to do, otherwise you're just awkwardly standing around, and that is not cool. It's acceptable to be talking to your friends in a group that's prearranged to form a complementary tableau (only one of you can have a printed blazer, for instance), but it is much better if one or all members of said group are preoccupied with something...instead of looking like you're just waiting around to be photographed.
5. Find a girl-friend.
Girls are very rare in Pitti—it felt as if I was the only one—which is great because that means that women are a novelty. If you're with a girl, that also makes you look very cool. This is basically the logic behind rap videos, and the same works for peacocking at Pitti. For me, it was the reverse: While I was attempting to become a master peacock, I needed to venture out solo. But I did break my own rule on a few occasions for several very compelling reasons.
