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Readtime: 10 min
The Lowdown:
Where else would you get your fashion advice from if not a bunch of impossibly well-dressed Europeans drinking espresso in 35-degree heat? Here’s what we learned from Pitti Uomo 2026.
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Key Takeaways
- The slim-fit suit is out. Relaxed shoulders, pleated trousers and longer drapes are in.
- Sandals are now a legitimate dress shoe, even at black-tie events.
- Chunky streetwear sneakers are over, and loafers are the new default.
Twice a year, a massive crowd of well-dressed men descends on Florence for Pitti Uomo. It’s easily the best place to see how men are dressing IRL, away from the quirky and frankly unwearable pieces you see on the high-fashion runways in Paris.
To find out what’s in and what’s out, Man of Many got the full rundown from Australian content creator Dirk Fourie and Bared Footwear Men’s Head of Marketing, Maggie Kelly. They were lucky enough to be on the ground in Florence (and no, we’re not jealous at all). Their main takeaway was simple: the relaxed fit is still king, chunky sneakers have finally run their course, and sandals are apparently a dress shoe now.
If you’re looking to refresh your wardrobe, these are the biggest trends to copy right now.
Related: The Best Looks From Pitti Uomo 2026
1. Relaxed Fit & Loose Tailoring is King
If your trousers are tight around your calves and your jacket leaves you with no room to move, it’s time to get the donation bags out. All the stylish men in Florence were wearing decidedly relaxed pieces – think dropped shoulders, a billowy fit around the waist, and trousers that sit over your shoes. The ultra-tight, cropped tailoring we’ve seen for the last decade is over (at least for now).
“I really could see a strong theme of bigger, more relaxed shapes,” Fourie said. “We’re in our relaxed era. There was a lot of pleating through the trousers, longer lines across suit shoulders, longer drapes on the legs. Anything tight or cropped is out.”
This trend doesn’t just involve sizing up from your usual. Instead, it borrows heavily from a specific era of tailoring.
“The suiting was very relaxed – longer lines, deconstructed shapes, lighter fabrics that moved. Very 90s Armani. Anything structured or fitted felt completely out of place,” added Fourie.
2. The ‘Wrong Shoe’ Theory: Men’s Sandals as Dress Shoes
The old rules for what counts as a dress shoe have been completely thrown out the window. Instead of playing it safe with traditional oxfords, men are intentionally picking footwear that looks like it belongs to a different outfit.
“Sandals aren’t something to slip on after the beach here. They’re being worn as a full-on dress shoe,” Kelly explained. “I’ve seen them everywhere from black-tie dinners with brown sandals and navy suiting, to daytime corporate with a tie. They’re super versatile.”
If you want to try this without looking like you got dressed in the dark, Kelly’s advice is to just own the contrast. “It’s like the ‘wrong shoe theory’. Try a loafer with swim shorts and a polo, or a leather sandal with a suit. The rules of menswear are being stretched, and it’s okay to play.”
3. Mixing Vintage Workwear with Modern Tailoring
Dressing in an outfit that looks like it came fresh off the store rack is a bit of a style misstep these days. The best looks on the street were all about contrast – specifically, mixing vintage rugged pieces with sharp, modern tailoring.
“I loved seeing guys in shoes they’ve clearly owned and loved for a long time,” said Fourie. “You can tell they’re buying high-quality investment items and hanging onto them. I was loving all the vintage bomber jackets, reworked military shirts, and well-worn denim. Super cool.”
But to make this work without looking like you rolled out of an op-shop, Kelly says the secret lies in the quality of the fabrics and how you mix them. “The vintage items here are really thoughtful. It’s all about choosing materials that get better with age: raw denim, cotton, leather,” she says. “The styling was then about a high-low mix, pairing these worn-in pieces with sharper, newer items like suit jackets or crisp white shirts.”
4. Classic Men’s Loafers
Sneakers took a backseat this year, and the loafer cemented itself as the backbone of style.
“Loafers were a standout for sure. We saw them in many variations,” Fourie says. “A stiff velvet version for evening wear, a super soft and slouchy version for daytime. Suede loafers were massive, especially in that tobacco shade.”
5. Pastels and 70s Earth Tones
The crisp white button-down is no longer the automatic default when you’re throwing on a suit. Instead, the streets were packed with men donning softer, vintage-leaning colours.
“We saw a lot of pastels: Tiffany blue in suit jackets and dress shirts, which was a cool 70s throwback,” reported Fourie.
And it wasn’t just a subtle pop of colour here and there, either. Guys went all-in on the palette.
“Colour was everywhere and not just in the streetwear; tuxedo shirts in Tiffany blue, blush pink, lemon yellow,” Fourie added. “Even the accessories were getting in on it: coloured sunglasses, pocket squares, socks. Neutrals were only there to be broken up.”
Related: Why Colour Analysis Is the Ultimate Hack for an Elevated Wardrobe
6. The Rise of the Slouchy Tote & Manbag
If you’re still cramming your phone, wallet, keys and sunglasses into your trouser pockets, it’s time to upgrade. The manbag has gone from niche accessory to non-negotiable.
“Men were carrying tote bags, leather slouch bags, and also evening bags,” Fourie says. “See ya later, crowded pockets.”
7. Statement Men’s Accessories & Hats
The easiest way to make any outfit instantly stylish is by loading up on the smaller details. Rather than keeping things minimalist, the crowd in Florence used accessories to give their outfits a visual boost.
“Brooches. You heard it here first,” Fourie said. “A lot of accessories for men in general, actually: cravats, silk scarves, statement hats, sunglasses, and luxury socks.”
In fact, the more you looked at the outfits on display, the more it became clear that tiny, historical accents were doing a lot of the heavy lifting.
“The accessories were the real story: vintage brooches and lapel pins on everything from casual suiting to black tie,” Fourie added.
He also noted that a certain iconic style of wide-brimmed hat dominated the street style – something Aussies can easily get behind. “Stetsons . The bigger the better, worn with suiting, or worn casually. The Akubra crowd are going to love this one,” he said.
8. Low-Profile & Slim Luxury Sneakers
For the last few years, massive “dad shoes” were everywhere. But not anymore. The few guys who actually wore sneakers in Florence swapped the bulky shapes for slim, low-profile pairs made from clean leather and suede.
“I think that chunky sneakers are done for sure,” Fourie said. “Sneaker lines were much slimmer and used elevated materials like leather and suede. Anything too street was out.”
9. The New Outer Layers: Utility Fisherman Vests & Safari Suits
Putting together a great outfit in hot weather is always a balancing act, but this year guys cracked the code by leaning hard into lightweight utility layers instead of basic blazers.
The unexpected MVP on the street was the sleeveless utility vest, which added immediate visual interest to basic base layers. “The fisherman vest was the layer of the week: loose, relaxed, worn over a t-shirt with tailored trousers,” Fourie said. “It sounds simple but it just elevated everything.”
Alongside the vests, traditional tailoring took a turn toward retro travel gear with the resurrection of matching sets.
“The safari suit was an alternative to the casual blazer this season – head to toe in pale blue, olive or tan, with those sharp pocket details,” Fourie noted. “Monochromatic and structured but still relaxed.”
The Takeaway
If the streets of Florence proved anything this year it’s that dressing well doesn’t mean being uncomfortable anymore. The era of stiff, ultra-tight tailoring and giant, clunky sneakers is officially behind us. Refreshing your look for the season ahead doesn’t mean throwing out your whole wardrobe, either.
It can be as simple as swapping your tight chinos for a relaxed trouser, trading your daily sneakers for a pair of loafers, and allowing some smaller, vintage-style accessories do the talking. Oh, and don’t forget the slouchy manbag.
Men’s Fashion FAQs
Just because something is trending on the global stage doesn’t mean you have to give up on pieces or styles you love. If you want to keep wearing slim-cut suits, then have at it. However, the industry has definitely shifted hard toward relaxed tailoring. You don’t need to jump to extreme oversized cuts straight away, though. Start with trousers that have a subtle forward pleat and a wider leg opening that breaks cleanly over the shoe, paired with a jacket that has a slightly relaxed, natural shoulder.
Swap your stark white or standard light-blue shirts for muted tones like soft lemon, pale mint or washed Tiffany blue. Because the saturation is low, these colours pair easily with the grey, navy or olive tailoring you likely already own.
Stick to classic shapes made from premium materials like raw suede or full-grain leather. Look for resoleable construction, such as a Goodyear welt or Blake stitch. As Fourie and Kelly both pointed out, you want to be buying pieces that develop a good patina over the years and look better the longer you own them.
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