Martine Rose's 1980s Reverie at Pitti Uomo

January 19, 2023

Older men dance under an ‘80s disco ball for guest designer of Pitti Uomo, Martine Rose. The London-born designer held her first show outside of her hometown a few days before Men’s Fashion Week in Milan. Inspired by the rise of Italian house music in 1980s and '90s England, the show, on a chartreuse carpet between paneled mirrors, is much more of a party than your traditional runway memories.

Macho Man poses in front of smoking should-be-totaled cars from your grandfather’s garage (he’ll fix them someday) promote the Martine Rose Autumn-Winter 2023 collection — to preface, the 37-look collection featured mature faces with locals plucked right off the street near Ponte Vecchio to walk in the mom and pop-esque show in downtown Florence.

Text by India Espy-Jones
Images courtesy of Martine rose®

Under the loggia in Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, the show is recorded with a CCTV-inspired video by International Magic featuring interactive views from 12 streaming cameras–so even if you weren’t there, there's no need for FOMO about this party — you can still take a “voyeuristic fly-on-the-wall” peek into Martine’s show. As for the looks, button-down shirts and printed ties are at the base of the collection with the Martine rose® logo embroidered on. Necklaces with extended gold chains, too, have an emblem but of coins with “ENJOY YOUR AGE” and “WOMAN’S PLACE IS EVERY PLACE” emblazoned in collaboration with jewelry line LL, LLC.

At this discotheque, models with square-toed shoes pumped down the liqueur-toned carpet toting shopping bags and purses filled with what we can only guess would be more hair spray, shot glasses, and loose bills (to go with the earings). A black wool car coat rose up to the ears as “very naughty” micro-rise jeans have near cheek exposure. Next to starch-induced sweaters and sports jersey jackets, Martine Rose’s silhouettes spill from a previous gig as a Menswear Consultant at Balenciaga. The oversized, structured neckline which sits above the neck is paired with a laser-cut Western fringe (are you joking?) in an all-American look you would never expect, almost as unexpected as a bubblegum-pink jacket with fur trim and puffed sleeves.

And we couldn’t even try to guess, where will Martine Rose take us next?

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For years, she stood still, watching life rush past her, a quiet observer behind the glass. Now, the glass is broken, and she steps out into the unknown. She walks through the city, caught between two worlds—part of it, yet apart from it.

Her journey is quiet but bold, searching for something she’s never understood, something just out of reach. On church steps and under glowing city lights, she questions everything: the rules, the past, and where she truly belongs. Each step feels both freeing and uncertain.

A curious soul in a borrowed life, she keeps moving forward, leaving behind only whispers of her escape, like a fleeting shadow in the night.