Giorgio Armani started his couture collection with one of the trans-global explorations that have been dear to his heart throughout his storied career. Ikat, the textile pattern which is woven into the cultural histories of countries around the world and came into western fashion via 1960s hippie travelers was his theme, a take-off point for what was essentially an extended journey into his own domain of Armani codes.
Women who set store by Giorgio Armani come to him for the things they can trust: the solutions offered by his decorative jackets, whether structured and tailored or delicately beaded, and for his expertise in providing eveningwear that has boundless authority in equipping acting professionals through the awards season.
For spring, he moved away from the structured Deco-glamour of his last collection, breaking down his pantsuits to become unmatched coordinates and blurring outlines with layers of transparency. There were narrow taffeta tracksuit pants and printed and beaded trousers, and around 30 variations of Armani jackets on show. Blazers, coat-jackets, cropped cardigans, short-sleeved, waisted, zippered, buttonless—he had something here with the potential to suit any physique or age.
For evening, Armani again went for what he knows his women will want as they line up on all those miles of red carpet that stretch ahead from the Academy Awards to the Met Gala, Cannes, and beyond. There were 17 strapless looks, interspersed with camisole-topped dresses. But who’s counting? The practical virtue of Armani’s comprehensive system is that it never turns out that anyone ends up looking the same. As he respects the individual needs of his clients, so they reward him with loyalty and admiration.
