Even though its been some time, Florence was every bit as beautiful of a city as I remembered.  Walking across the Ponte Vecchio with some gelato in hand put a vast smile on my face and for some time, my wife and I fantasized about moving there sometime in the near future. Unlike previous years however, the temperatures were in the high 90's - the kind of heat that makes you just want to stay indoors the entire time.

Chilling in the sun with a few good people.  I'm also happy to share that I got to participate on a project with Karl-Edwin Guerre that's coming.

After a bit of a hiatus, I packed my bags and headed to Florence this past June for Pitti Uomo 92, the summer 2017 summer edition. On the way there, I got a chance to spend some time in Germany which was quite the experience.

Heat or no heat, I was there to check out the trade show and check out what some of my favorite brands were up to for the upcoming seasons. One of those brands is Mario Bemer, makers of some of the most amazing shoes I've gotten hands on with.  I spent quite a bit of time at their stand talking and checking out a few new models.

A highlight of the trip to Pitti for me has always been getting to catch up with old friends from around the world who share a passion for menswear and meeting new ones. I've been connected for some time now with Akil McCleod of Dapper Advisor via social media ever since we were both selected as some of GQ's Best Dressed Readers but we'd never linked up in person. That got remedied on this trip.  

I also got to hang out with my man Filippo Matera, the mind behind Naked Clothing and congratulate him in person on getting his brand onto The Rake as well as a few other things he's got cooking.