There are always many things to marvel at during Armani Privé shows. Starting with the hordes of crazed fans outside the Théâtre de Chaillot, patiently waiting for the fleeting sight of a movie star. In yesterday’s case, Kate Winslet, who after many a photocall shoot took her place in the front row alongside a regal-looking and choker-clad Sofia Loren. The seat on her other side was vacant, at least until the beginning of the show, when French legend Isabelle Huppert hastily made her entrance through the catwalk, ignoring the photographers’ angry shouts. Yes, there are many things to marvel at during Armani Privé shows. Unfortunately, this season the collection was not part of those things.
What started as classic Armani – masterfully cut two-piece suits, coats and skirts with the easy sense of chic that makes the Italian designer one of the very few who still really shows clothes to be worn – eventually morphed into something way more complicated, in the shape of long, narrow skirts which rendered the models’ walk artificial and difficult, a surprise given the sense of comfort traditionally present chez Monsieur Armani. Redundancy made the whole thing even heavier (do we really need to see the exact same top in seafoam blue, black and shocking pink?) but there was another glimpse of the Armani stars we know and love in a few simpler black velvet gowns, before heavy embellishment remade its appearance in the form of intricate Pierrot capes that took the modern edge off the finale. Still, we can bet many of the collection’s gowns will end up on some red carpet. That’s the upside of being called Giorgio Armani.
