Vestirsi da Uomo Atto II by Marc Ascoli

Fashion that is not inhibited by stereotypes or strict boundaries of gender, striking straight at the heart of its very essence through playful, unsettling discord. This is the philosophy of Vestirsi da Uomo, the Fondazione Pitti Discovery project curated by Marc Ascoli. In a series of tableaux vivants, Ascoli has distilled his idea of male elegance, using garments from collections at Pitti Uomo 81: Barbour, Black Fleece, Borsalino, Cruciani, Engineered Garments, Folk, Herno, Lardini, Salvatore Piccolo, Santoni, Tonello and Yuketen. No-frills garments, tailored and minimal that mix with imaginative accessories and pieces by Polimoda students having a flamboyant, surprising, fresh twist. Mysterious anthropomorphic rabbits dressed in formal suits welcome guests in the garden of Villa Favard, the neo-renaissance residence overlooking the Arno and current headquarters of the Polimoda Fashion Institute. A surreal atmosphere evokes scenes inspired by the films of David Lynch. Inside, a series of characters balanced on the fine line between the human and animal world, suspended finely between male and female, dreams and reality, play with crinoline and lace masks on a tiny stage set amongst gilded frames, crystal and frescos. A slender veiled figure follows guests as they walk through the rooms, a bewitching apparition in black, a Veuve Noire inspired by Baroness Fiorella Favard of Langlade and played by Raphaelle Boitel, a performer with Lynch's Parisian Club Silencio. In the hug