Even before this morning’s show began, a front row that included Giancarlo Esposito, Simu Liu, Jason Isaacs, Raymond Lam, and Benito Skinner showcased a portfolio of minimalist, volumized, and softly structured tailoring. The first look on the runway was one of those couple-combos, and a reminder of this designer’s first American Gigolo moment of wider exposure back in 1980; the zipper detailing on the female model’s pant hem was a minutely acute update for now. Another historical reference was the tucked-in leather blouson of look 32; this garment echoed Armani’s first-ever menswear collection under his own name, which predated his earliest experiments in tailoring.
Both collection and set were broadly inspired by one of Mr. Armani’s happiest places: the island of Pantelleria where he has summered for decades. The fake black boulders that flanked the runway and the covert coats and minimalist biker sets in matte black shaved leather both echoed the island’s volcanic stone landscape. The color story referenced a wide palette of marine blues, and a garden’s worth of explosive bougainvillea purples and pinks. There were palm trees in a woven motif on printed shirts, duffel bags, jackets, and pants that echoed the North African textile influence of this weekend’s Emporio show.
Desert island-dreamy were the quilted-collar jacket and double zip gilet looks in treated linen and technical fabrics that immediately followed the palms. Also especially strong were the accessories, running from wave-shaped woven rattan shoes to beautifully archetypal canvas and bridle leather totes, grips, and satchels. There were faux sharkskin phone cases and envelope-shaped woven pochettes.
Light knit sweaters were tied diagonally across multi-buttoned Nehru collar silk shirts worn over pants with a puckered finish that echoed the sharkskin effect of the bags. The richness and breadth of the fabrics and materials developed by Armani’s long-nurtured network of specialist manufacturers was on full display in richly textured woven shirting, lushly treated leathers, and the precisely draped tailoring fabrics in finishes that spanned metallic silver to inky midnight black.
Even more various were the tailoring silhouettes. This enormous collection disguised precise variation within apparent repetition: no two looks, even those couples sets, ever entirely overlapped. It was a resounding statement designed to affirm, yet again, Mr. Armani’s original style.
So what, I took the chance to ask Mr. Armani, would he counsel any of the many younger creatives currently rising in the fashion system to focus upon in order to build a foundation for longevity as solid as his? He replied: “My advice for the new generations is that each of us should look for our own signature. Maybe we can start by evoking the work of a designer we admire, a little like as happened in the tradition of art in the workshops with students and masters. But then, through trial and error, it is essential to be able to achieve our own style.”
“This also means not being in a hurry to be successful immediately, as we tend to do today. For example, I started relatively late, I opened my company when I was already 40, I took all the time necessary to develop my own aesthetic and I think that this aspect has greatly benefited the definition of my personal style.”
He added: “Now I must make an effort to rest in order to get better soon, so that I can be at my best, as I hope to be, in time for Paris.” Vi auguriamo una pronta guarigione, Mr. Armani.