January 23, 2019 |
Giorgio Armani summed up his SS19 couture collection in one word: Lacquer, was the name and polished was the game. Bertolucci’s The Conformist was in the designer’s mind alongside to the sleek Art Deco lines that have always informed his work. The collection majored on glistening, reflective surfaces and slender silhouettes. High shine leather was sculpted into strong shouldered jackets, sequins shimmered on floor length column dresses and hand painted fabrics were layered with gauze and given a 3D effect. These were clothes designed to catch the light and dazzle. Armani is a fashion king and does everything his own way, at his own regal pace. The models processed in a stately fashion through the grand salons of his show space.
The intimacy allowed Armani’s audience to see the details of every hand-stitch. The discipline of couture – the commitment it takes to produce clothes to such haute standards – is as compelling as the froth and romance. Armani’s models slowly slinked along the catwalk, stopping to twirl or fall into classically elegant couture poses – all the better to show off Armani’s immaculate confections.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans.
