Your average fashion show is a sensory overload: cameras flashing, frantic music, one look-at-me ensemble after the next. A Giorgio Armani show is pretty much the opposite of that. It’s the closest you can get to a zen experience while still being at fashion week. The models glide rather than strut; the color palette calms, the silhouettes are fluid, and even the music is soothing.
Last year, the designer turned 90, and fêted the moment with a travel-inspired show in New York. Now, his fashion house is turning 50, and to mark a half-century, he stayed put. Mr. Armani returned to its roots—quite literally: the collection was titled “Radici,” or “roots” in Italian—and his customary slot at Milan Fashion Week. The natural-world inspiration translated to a symphony of subdued, earthy tones.
The Armani woman never appears rushed or harried. Loose, billowing shapes and soft cashmeres and velvets were the order of the day. In a season where we’ve seen so much greed-is-good-era workwear, even the designer’s take on suiting was relaxed. And his models were impeccably accessorized with wide belts, jaunty hats, sculptural chokers, and scarves tied like capes.
While the pieces might seem minimalist and unassuming, there was a lot more going on up close: detailed embroideries, rich jacquards, and intricate beading that all demanded a second look.
On the Oscars red carpet tonight, we’re likely to see some Armani moments, as the brand is practically synonymous with OG Hollywood glamour (no wonder Mikey Madison recently promoted Anora in a vintage 1992 look complete with opera gloves.) So it was appropriate that the show’s finale included some glittering I’d-like-to-thank-the-Academy gowns with matching beaded clutches. Who knows, they might just be headed to a starlet near you.
Véronique Hyland is ELLE’s Fashion Features Director and the author of the book Dress Code, which was selected as one of The New Yorker's Best Books of the Year. Her writing has previously appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, W, New York magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, and Condé Nast Traveler.
