Leo Dell’Orco met Armani nearly five decades ago through a chance encounter involving stray dogs in a Milan park. That meeting shaped the trajectory of both men’s lives. Now, months after Armani’s death last September, Dell’Orco presented his first Giorgio Armani Fall 2026 collection without the founder’s direct involvement. The weight of that responsibility was evident not in nerves or uncertainty but in restraint.
| 📌 Key Facts |
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| 🧵 Creative Director: Leo Dell’Orco (first solo collection) 🏛️ Location: Armani’s house on Via Borgonuovo, Milan 👔 Looks: 136 silhouettes blending soft tailoring and casualwear 🎨 Key Colors: Greige, charcoal, olive, purple, amethyst, lapis blue ✨ Key Materials: Velvet, washed silk, corduroy, iridescent finishes 🤝 Collaboration: Alanui knitwear 🧭 Creative Direction: Continuity, heritage, subtle personal evolution |
Continuity as a creative strategy
The show unfolded in Armani’s house on Via Borgonuovo, where Dell’Orco still lives. The subterranean runway theater, which has hosted countless collections, was the setting. There was no elaborate set design. Models walked with the familiar Armani stride, chin up, some removing glasses or tapping unworn kidskin gloves against their thighs. The atmosphere carried the ionized tang of Armani’s swimming pool. Everything telegraphed continuity, a gesture long associated with previous menswear collections.
Dell’Orco presented 136 looks, including soft, roomy tailoring in plush fabrics and cozy casualwear. Full-legged pants made of washed silk, gray wool, and corduroy flowed like jersey over soft-soled suede shoes and boots. Jackets fell from the shoulder with the house’s trademark liquid flow. They were cut slightly higher than in recent seasons and were delivered overwhelmingly without vents. The opening presented an expansive range of soft tailoring in greige and charcoal.
Color and texture: where Leo Dell’Orco gently rewrites Armani codes
Where Dell’Orco allowed himself to deviate, color and texture choices emerged. Iridescent finishes emerged throughout the collection. Colors moved beyond the familiar Armani greige palette into olive, amethyst, and lapis lazuli. One vivid blue velvet suit flirted with flashiness. Relatively un-Armani in its directness, purple outerwear made an appearance, with one shearling coat fitted almost slim against the body rather than hanging loose.
Dell’Orco favored monochromatic or tonal looks, a trend that was prevalent throughout this abbreviated Milan men’s fashion week, alongside hats and the color purple. He incorporated familiar Armani micro patterns in grays and tans before introducing richer, more demonstrative colors. A green velvet shirt appeared under a black shearling blouse. A blue velvet jacket without lapels was worn over flannel trousers for the evening.
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Alanui collaboration and the evolution of Armanimenswear
Two semi-sheer velvet suits stood out for their technical achievement; they were ingeniously crushed to reflect light in chaotic corduroy patterns of splintered stripes. The collection included a collaboration with the luxury knitwear brand Alanui on fringed, striped, and belted wrap cardigans with geometric patterns, shown on both men and women. These were the boldest looks in the show and perhaps signal a new pathway for Dell’Orco to explore.
The designer presented several looks for women and concluded with couples wearing similar outfits, emphasizing Armani’s pioneering role in revolutionizing tailoring and creating a comprehensive lifestyle brand. Occasionally, menswear looks were accompanied by womenswear equivalents, nodding toward the coed Emporio Armani show scheduled for next month and echoing the sensibility seen in his Spring 2026 farewell collection.
Leo Dell’Orco’s personal imprint on the Armani legacy
Dell’Orco shares design responsibilities with Armani’s niece, Silvana, who oversees womenswear. After the show, he explained his approach to guests gathered in the private apartments he shares with Armani. He wanted to add something personal: more eccentric colors, purples and greens, and iridescence and a bit of shine, an approach that also extends to the house’s emerging men’s jewelry offering. He slightly adjusted the proportions, creating shapes that caress the body. Dell’Orco and his nephew Gianluca, the head of the menswear style office and Dell’Orco’s right-hand man, took their bow together.
No one expects Dell’Orco to replicate what Armani built. The 1980s and 1990s are making a comeback in menswear, which puts Armani in a good position to showcase its heritage. It remains to be seen how Dell’Orco will balance preservation with personal expression while maintaining the essence of a brand averse to disruption.
