Giorgio Armani seems imbued with a new spirit of generosity lately. No longer the solitary tortured genius, the designer brought the staff of his studio out at the end of his show to share in the runway bow. That new spirit extended to the clothes, which had a manly, creased, sensuous quality that was less the urban glam of last season and more the movie stars of Hollywood's golden age.
There was something of the thirties in the proportions, especially the full-cut pants, but with 14 jacket styles featured in the collection (and at least as many types of trouser), you could equally find up-to-the-minute experiments with texture and shine. The latter effect, clearly a new favorite of Armani's, conjured up the silvering of moonlight. It was a bit odd for a summer collection, but still in keeping with the old-time matinee idol mood evoked by the models' kohl-rimmed eyes and slicked-back hair. Romance, evidently, is also on the rise at Armani.
