Cinematically inspired since making costumes for the cult film ‘’American Gigolo’’ in 1980, Giorgio Armani has taken naturally to the new COVID-19 reality of filmed runway presentations.
Clocking in at just under seven and a half minutes on screen and 50 looks, the result was one of his most concise collections in memory and better for it.
‘’Walking to my office in an empty city, I am constantly touched by the beauty and the quietness of Milano’’, he wrote in an email. The collection was filmed for the very first time in Palazzo Orsini that hosts his couture ateliers and salons.
‘’The times we are living in do force us to stay at home and have a very limited social life, but the quest for beauty is eternal,” Armani wrote. “That is what this collection is all about’’.
The collection was inspired by the designer’s journey, his sense of freedom, and his resistance to fleeting fashion trends. It explores the desire for perfection, with the aesthetics that appeal to the younger generation.
The first part of the collection was made up of absolutely impeccable suits (and also very practical, why not), enriched with beads and sequins, velvets and feathers. The collar details were also delicious: sculpted from crinoline flounces, twisted in satin blooms, pleated into taffeta flourishes. Laminated fabrics are recurrent in Armani’s collections, and transform even simple men’s-cut trousers into something special. The blazers were screwed at the waist, hyper-feminine, and some lifted with pointed shoulder pads. The second part of the collection was instead very dreamy. The dresses were layered, with beautiful embroideries and enriched with layers of tulle. Transparency was indeed at the heart of the entire work and can symbolize two different aspects of this Haute Couture collection – as well as being a big trend.