July 9, 2025 |
Born from black – in colour, in texture, in attitude – Giorgio Armani’s AW26 Privé collection unfurled like a sumptuous nocturne. The designer himself may have been notably absent, recuperating in Milan after an illness, but his unmistakable hand was still all over the show, guiding it with the kind of quiet confidence only he can muster.
Armani turned once again to his beloved black, drawn by its promise of “synthesis” and “graphic purity,” two qualities that have long allowed him to distill glamour down to its most essential, spellbinding form. This season, black didn’t simply dominate; it seduced, offering a rich canvas for a story that unfolded with nocturnal intrigue.
From the start, there was an undercurrent of romantic drama. Glistening brocade tops and gossamer gowns in jewel-box hues – sapphire, emerald, the occasional deep garnet – floated down the runway with a Parisian sort of ease. Before long, this gave way to a cavalcade of sharply tailored tuxedos, tailcoats, blazers and bow ties – all in black – each cut to flirt between the masculine and the feminine in that wonderfully nuanced way only Armani manages.
The silhouettes shimmered with a tangible luminosity too, thanks to sumptuous velvets and metallic silks that seemed to catch every last drop of light. Evening gowns dripped with pavé crystals or were crowned with oversized bows, sheer plastrons and cuffs that hugged the wrist like jewellery. Meanwhile little flashes of gold linings winked from beneath hems and lapels, adding a playful whisper of excess.
It all made for a quietly dazzling affair – a love letter to the night itself, penned in strokes of inky black and sealed with a glint of gold.
Photography courtesy of Giorgio Armani.
