Biannual menswear trade show Pitti Uomo has had an impressive few years; in the last couple of seasons alone, Craig Green, Gosha Rubchinskiy and Undercover’s Jun Takahashi have all premiered collections as guest designers. For SS20, it was the turn of Givenchy’s creative director Clare Waight Keller, who seized the opportunity to show her first standalone menswear collection for the storied French house.

The labyrinthine gardens of Florence’s Villa Palmieri became the ideal backdrop for a collection which combined digital florals, relaxed silhouettes and technical fabrics. The aim was to fuse old and new, which Keller did by styling loose, pastel suits with skintight cycling tops; these sportswear references were hinted at earlier in the day, when a trainer collaboration with Japanese footwear brand Onitsuka Tiger was premiered.

Titled Nouveau Glitch, collection highlights included an oversized, metallic tee layered over a structured, checked shirt and clasped tight with a chain-link belt; the outerwear was equally impressive, ranging from tailored overcoats to iridescent, oil-slicked raincoats. By pulling from inspirations including Baudelaire’s poetry (gothic florals and ‘Fleurs du Mal’ calligraphy) and post-internet visuals (glitchy prints, reflective fabrics), Keller has proven her ability to team classic menswear codes with digital flourishes, propelling one of fashion’s most revered houses into the future.