They say Giorgio Armani is the king of Milan. He practically owns the city - glance in any direction and there's an advert, shop or even the Armani Hotel on the Alessandro Manzoni grabbing your attention and inviting you to sample the wares of the grand master of Italian fashion. So it's natural perhaps then that for his S/S 15 Emporio Armani collection, Mr Armani was looking to urban spaces for inspiration and seeking to transplant the city onto clothes.
Architecture and interiors were suggested in the square 'titles' that adorned bags and jackets, while trousers came with graphic white lines up the sides, which suggested road markings. These striking monochrome zebra crossings and parallel lines ran through the collection, creating more punchy visuals than we've seen for a while from Mr Armani. Indeed, the whole collection had a notably more hard, robust feel - the signature loose silhouette and soft fabrics we expect from the pioneer of relaxed trailing were still there, but somehow less prominent. Some of that sportswear, particularly those padded, quilted tops, almost looked like armour. But then that's also appropriate for Mr Armani - he sends his models down the catwalk in groups like a marching army and runs his business with the precision and care of general. The message - S/S's no time for relaxing, and there's more momentum in the Armani tank yet.
