BEAUTY: Clothing--Emporio Armani

It's hard to exaggerate the contribution of Giorgio Armani to fashion history. Along with names who changed silhouettes and shapes and ushered in new cuts and styles and materials, Armani takes his place in the pantheon. He deconstructed the men's suit in the 80s, turning it into something soft and sensual, something sexy and flowing, without altering the basic concept of what it was. He removed layers of felting inside suits, making them relaxed and able to behave like thin silk. Just take a look at the iconic clothing from "American Gigolo" and you will see what I mean. It was soft and casual with a sense of effortless power. This revolution rippled out into the industry and we see its waves even now: designers still grapple with ways to make suiting less stiff, to make clothing more luxe without being precious, and to make pieces with more innate ease without being sloppy. In short, to make clothes more Armani. But no one does Armani like Armani.

Emporio Armani, the casual sportier line next to the actual Giorgio Armani label showed a fantastic collection at Milano Moda Uomo. The Fall-Winter '19-'20 EA philosophy was simple: it is about surviving the cold. But considering my previous rhapsodizing, these pieces of winter outer wear could not have been northwestern hiking gear...no, these jackets, coats, scarves, and blankets are pure Armani. There is just something about the cut and the way clothes settle that identifies the maker. But what truly excites me about this collection is Armani's continued dedication to cruelty-free fur, a.k.a. faux fur (I am posting a great many photos from the collection because I want to support the idea of cruelty-free fur). A decade or so ago when faux fur was hitting the market, it often looked fake. But technology moves quickly and today's faux fur might as well be called, well, fur. Yak, mink, sable, fox, shearling...nothing has to die anymore! It all looks warming and wild. I love the stoles and backpacks and fur boots...as well as the addition of an embossed material that looks croc. It's just glorious.

https://www.armani.com