January 27, 2021 |
Paris lays claim to Couture but for Mr Armani, everything starts in Milan. His studio, in the immaculate Palazzo Orsini, is “where the clothes are born,” he explained. Covid may have ruled out his usual Paris showcase, but the Palazzo is as grand as any French salon and it carries the emotion of home.
The show got to the very heart of Mr Armani’s aesthetic. Ease, elegance, excellence and modernity are his signatures, backed up by the supreme craftsmanship of his ateliers. He started with shimmering pagoda shouldered suiting, and gauzy gowns encrusted with crystals which looked miraculously light. Then then the maestro moved from icy shimmers into glorious colour with watery blue transparent gowns scattered with floral embroideries that would have met with Monet’s approval.
One gown, made from a dramatic rosette of rose-red satin was Armani’s sweet valentine to the craft of Couture. Meanwhile, gauzy capes created delicate clouds of colour over beaded jumpsuits and provided a refreshing twist on evening grandeur. For Mr Armani, home is where the art is.
Photography Nadine Ottawa.
