We reflect on the legendary Italian fashion designer’s inimitable style …
As tributes continue to flood in for the late, great Giorgio Armani, who passed away aged 91, there’s an outpouring of love not only for his contribution to the industry and unflinching work ethic, but also for his kindness and philosophies: “There can be nothing without love. No money, no power. Love is very important,” he once said.
The internet is awash with tributes to Armani’s most pivotal fashion moments, from exquisite tailoring worn by Julia Roberts on the red carpet to costuming Richard Gere in 1980’s American Gigolo – “He probably taught the whole male world the joy of wearing a beautiful suit,” Gere has since said – to his off-duty look in one of the many jet-set destinations he frequented, which expressed a peak dolce vita kind of ideal.
Giorgio himself likely would have approved of the nostalgia surrounding his death. “If what I created 50 years ago is still appreciated by an audience that wasn’t even born at the time, this is the ultimate reward,” he said in one of his final interviews. Scroll to read more on Armani’s enduring style legacy, both personally and professionally.
Slouchy Suiting
Through both the Giorgio Armani and Emporio Armani labels, the Armani brand became synonymous with the perfect suit. The brand originated cool-girl tailoring on the red carpet: just look to Diane Keaton accepting an Academy Award for Annie Hall, wearing Armani’s loose blazer and pleated skirt. The designer wanted her to have “something that could compete sartorially with what [her] male colleagues were wearing”, he said. Shapes were oversized and slouchy, at once speaking to 1980s excess – Armani set up a press office in Los Angeles in 1988 for VIP dressing, far before other luxury fashion brands cottoned onto this growing corner of the market – but also nodding to the emancipation of the female form through fluid tailoring that first came to be via Gabrielle Chanel in the 1930s. (Armani often cited Chanel as one of his favourite designers.) The timing couldn’t have been better as the 1980s ushered in the era of the power suit and the new reign of female empowerment that came with it.
Off-Duty Luxe
Before monikers like ‘off-duty style’ or ‘Euro summer’ were used ad nauseam, there were Giorgio Armani’s summer outfits. Arguably, images of Armani in a crisp T-shirt and monochrome tailored shorts, with a knit slung around his shoulders, finished with a pair of leather loafers, are the embodiment of quiet luxury far before it was a thing.
Navy Blue
Whether he was taking a bow on the runway or wearing more casual attire, navy blue was the colour Giorgio gravitated to. With good reason: it always looked sharp. “Navy blue is a stern yet gentle colour. It’s not as monastic and severe as black, but equally thoughtful, with a naval feel that is a plus for me, as I love the vast open sea. Navy blue projects an image of calm, and it actually relaxes me. My all-navy uniform is my way of saying, ‘I do create clothes and a million other things, so I have no time to think too much about my look. But I’m paying attention to it anyway because I’m still a fashion designer, and a man with a precise aesthetic,” he said.
The Joy Of A Uniform
Many fashion designers are prone to uniform dressing – see Carolina Hererra and her love of white shirts – and Armani often extolled the benefits of leaning into what you love. It’s not that he was fearful of change, he embraced it, but he did think fashion’s obsession with constant change could be a fickle trap. His personal style was a love letter to those elevated basics he leaned into again and again. His T-shirts were fitted and in block colours, he was fond of a crewneck jumper in grey or navy and, much like his US contemporaries Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger, he loved denim. He rarely switched up his shoes. When asked about his favourite footwear, he replied, “Clean white sneakers, like the ones I have been wearing forever.” Indeed, his style ethos could be summed up by his thoughts on simplicity: “The idea that less is better and that timeless elegance is a form of gentle radicalism.”
A Love Of Cats
Karl Lagerfeld wasn’t the only legendary designer known for a fondness of cats. In fact, Armani’s felines – who he was often photographed with, including his black cat Angel – were his constant companions. If he wasn’t inspired by them, he was at the very least fascinated by them. “Cats are very elegant, discreet creatures. They’re also extremely lazy, which I am not, and that adds an element to my fascination,” he said. Speaking of elegant creatures, while he was reticent to name his favourites among the many A-listers who have worn his creations, he did once admit that seeing Lee Radziwill in Armani was a high point.
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