But Mummy I want Pitti...

January is a kind of dead month round here. The Established Man bureau resides in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and we are pretty certain that over half of those the live nearby are either on a beach in St. Barts or on the slopes of St. Mortiz. One thing is for sure, they are not here. For us this time of year is a rest month before the crazy s**t kicks off, excuse the crass language but its the best way to illustrate what its about.

Yes, from mid-Jan onwards it becomes some sort of great fashion fest, first the men's shows in Milan and Paris and then a bit of New York for men's and women's shows and then back to London town for London Fashion Week. That's a good part of a month on the road doing the great fashion week rounds. But this is also the time of year for Pitti Uomo. A sort of menswear trade-fair, albeit a very chic trade-fair affair. With around 760 exhibitors, 930 brands there's a hell of a lot to see and its always impeccably well done, and low key...despite the Sartorialist snapping away.

Reports from the show so far are vague...'its hardly the trenches' was one response to this statement, whether they meant coats or war is unconfirmed. But all in all for 2010 here are The Established Man's top tips of what might be good in menswear to invest in.

- Duffle Coats ( Think Paddington Bear goes to Dover Street Market, Gloverall are our favorites)
- Hiking-influenced footwear (Seen on the street only this morning, expect to see on the runway in a few weeks)
- Denim
- Colour - (Globe-Trotter luggage in New York taxi yellow ought to be a good starting point, subtle!)

As per usual there's all sorts of collaborations to be had, A Ron Arad sculpture flaunts Notify jeans in the courtyard for example. Glad Ron had time to fit this in amongst a show for MoMA.

Yesterday as things kicked off Lars Nilsson debuted his collection for men. A suitable winter boot option was in view for us boys if this bitterness continues, think ski boot for the city. Shame you'll have to wait until next year to get it. Other than that there were some punchy knits in bright colours and a waft of outerwear to be gawped at.