BEAUTY: Clothing--Giorgio Armani

Oh, Armani, Armani. I waxed rhapsodic about the legendary Giorgio Armani in my last post for Emporio Armani here, so ditto for this glorious Fall-Winter 2024-2025 collection he showed at Milano Moda Uomo. It is full of the kind of exquisite tailoring, cuts, and silhouettes for which he is rightfully known. Just look at how all of these garments lay on the body and fall...it is the epitome of refined luxury.

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. I have a personal soft spot for Armani designs...it has a bit to do with my age and when I grew up (seeing Armani clothing first hand in the 70s and 80s), and the film "American Gigolo" for which Armani made the clothing, but also the fact that Armani has managed to stay relevant and creative over such a long span. 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; making a suit 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. Clean lined and impeccably tailored, Armani's sensibility is about luxe fabrics and the way a garment hangs and drapes on the body (of both men and women).

Yes, his designs rely on classic tailoring but also a vague sense, a shadow, an echo of historical fashion. The way a jacket or coat is cut or its stance, the inclusion of waistcoats, belted outerwear, loose cut and high waisted trousers...it all reminds me of...what, the 1920s and 30s? The 1880s? The 1940s and 50s? Yes to all of it, as evidenced below. Armani is simply a master.

https://www.armani.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Giorgio Armani

I love Giorgio Armani: I say it every time I blog about his work. I said it yesterday when I blogged about his Emporio Armani FW '23-'24 collection here. And I will say it again now. 

Every season for his own eponymous label or for his Emporio Armani line (the more causal and sportier version of Armani), I swoon at what his house creates and sends down the runway. I respond most to designers, designs, and shows that have a strong inspiration and concept, and a near-performance art presentation. But Armani does not need concepts. He has been creating his own sense of easy luxury for over half a century now, and it's still fresh and relevant today.

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 the film "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. Clean lined and impeccably tailored, Armani's sensibility is about luxe fabrics and the way a garment hangs and drapes on the body (of both men and women).

But there is also something else that I really respond to in each Armani collection and that is a vague sense, a shadow, an echo of historical fashion. The way a jacket or coat is cut or its stance, the inclusion of waistcoats, belted outerwear, loose cut and high waisted trousers...it all reminds me of...what, the 1920s and 30s? The 1880s? The 1940s and 50s? Yes to all of it. And while his FW '23-'24 Emporio Armani collection shown yesterday at Milano Moda Uomo evoked the 1920s and the era of celebrity aviators, this FW '23-'24 Giorgio Armani collection, also at Milano Moda Uomo, has that aforementioned wonderful, wistful undefined sense of history. The show notes spoke of the architecture of Milan as an inspiration--hence the set clad in refined marbles in sophisticated grid patterns--but the execution seemed to be quite a subtle manifestation. I just notice the insanely luxurious materials, the stunning tailoring and cuts of garments, and the seductive and oh-so-Italian sense of sprezzatura exhibited in a casually draped wrap or fur scarf. And speaking of fur, several floor length faux-fur coats came down the runway and were just delicious. Do watch the video at the bottom to see details of the pieces and how they move and hang.

https://www.armani.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Giorgio Armani

I love Giorgio Armani: I say it every time I blog about his work. I said it yesterday when I blogged about his Emporio Armani SS '23 collection here. And I will say it again now.

Every season for his own eponymous label or for his Emporio Armani line (the more causal and sportier version of Armani), I swoon at what his house creates and sends down the runway. I respond most to designers, designs, and shows that have a strong inspiration and concept, and a near-performance art presentation. But Armani does not need concepts. He has been creating his own sense of easy luxury for nearly half a century now, and it's still fresh and relevant today.

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 the film "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. Clean lined and impeccably tailored, Armani's sensibility is about luxe fabrics and the way a garment hangs and drapes on the body (of both men and women).

And I could just cry when I look at this Giorgio Armani SS '23 collection at Milano Moda Uomo. My gawd, the silhouettes (relaxed double-breasted or loose single shawl collar jackets...so gorgeous), the draping, the silks, the liquid-y knits...it's all breathtaking to me. But there is also something else that I really respond to in each Armani collection and that is a vague sense, a shadow, an echo of historical fashion. The way a jacket or coat is cut or its stance, the inclusion of waistcoats, belted outerwear, loose cut and high waisted trousers...it all reminds me of...what, the 1920s and 30s? The 1880s? The 1940s and 50s? Yes to all of it. And this sense is included here, but with a little flavor of clothing from India and South East Asia, perfect for a summer collection. And let's look at the colors: soft cream, pale greige, and barely-there pastels give way to a marine colorway again, seen in his Emporio Armani collection from yesterday here, and then to an array of spectacular, deep jewel-toned purples, a color we don't usually see at Armani. But it's the last few looks in a phenomenal shimmer-y grey and silver palette that really gets me where I live.

https://www.armani.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Giorgio Armani

Oh, Armani. I waxed rhapsodic about the legendary Giorgio Armani in my last post for Emporio Armani here, so ditto for this glorious Fall Winter 2020-2021 collection he showed at Milano Moda Uomo. It is full of the kind of exquisite tailoring, cuts, and silhouettes for which he is rightfully known. Just look at how all of these garments lay on the body and fall...it is the epitome of refined luxury.

After a section of outdoor wear (that looks like it would protect any wearer from Arctic temperatures) and puffy coats--piumino in Italian--that are not stuffed with feathers but alternating layers of wool and cashmere, came a succession of beautiful day clothes and suits in fantastic colors, gorgeously subtle checks, all in sumptuous fabrics like wool silk blends (which is how one gets garment to lay like that, by starting with fabric that has a delicious hand). In fact, the name of this show was "Tactile Impressions." And of course the show ended with some stunning evening wear that is both effortlessly casual and effortlessly elegant at the same time. Armani is a master.

https://www.armani.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Emporio Armani

Ever since Mrs. Prada fell in love with the much-maligned nylon (people had bad memories of parachute pants from the 80s and 90s), the shiny, hearty material is back in vogue. And it was everywhere at the Spring Summer '20 Emporio Armani show at Milano Moda Uomo. So much so that some of the looks came with parachutes! But of course, Giorgio being Giorgio, the house executed all this nylon in gloriously cut pieces (read my rhapsodizing about how he changed fashion history forever here). Heavily and randomly pleated viscose trousers look great under shimmery jackets. Harnesses with pochettes, shirts with drawstrings at the collar, leather cummerbund storage packs, and sheer fluttery pants all add up to a deliciously Armani vision.

https://www.armani.com