2023-05-14 15:13:08
The new simplicity in luxury fashion inspires our columnist to have a few thoughts on 89-year-old Giorgio Armani.
Armani’s oversized look from 1984 works again today. Those who are clever are now looking for the old collections.Aldo Fallai
A large walk-in closet opens and silky shirts in shades of beige fly onto a bed, matching an array of matching suits. This scene in the 1980 film “American Gigolo” not only made the actor Richard Gere a world star, it also helped Giorgio Armani to world fame.
The fashion designer from Milan, who in the following two decades gave men a new casualness and also transferred this casual elegance to women, is today the last designer of his generation who is still active. At 89, he not only holds the reins for the various Armani collections, he is also the sole owner of the family business, in which his nieces and nephews now work. The fact that the brand has not long since been sold to a multinational is really a special feature.
image series
Left a photo taken by Peter Lindbergh in 1994 for a Giorgio Armani campaign, right an Armani campaign photo by Paolo Roversi showing Shalom Harlow (1998)Peter Lindbergh/Paolo Roversi
Campaign images from Giorgio Armani’s 1989 summer collectionAldo Fallai
Flowing silhouette in the colors of the sky: Giorgio Armani Men SS23Giorgio Armani
Champion with a team: Giorgio Armani amidst the models of his spring/summer 23 men’s showSGP
Armani dominated luxury fashion throughout the 1980s and 1990s, not only influencing how men are dressed to this day: the Milan master paved the way for fashion designers such as Helmut Lang and Jil Sander, as well as brands such as Boss, to shape a modern image of men with clothing . It was he who brought a new simplicity and flowing softness to jackets. He made the stiff mass uniform lighter and more comfortable, with different cuts, less lining and flattering fabrics; primarily in Armani’s favorite scale of neutral tones. A discreet, comfortable luxury that focuses only on materials and tonal balance and exudes a great deal of understatement.
This is exactly the quiet trend that is now becoming visible everywhere again, after years of logo mania and outdoing effects and design ideas from Gucci or Louis Vuitton. The longing for pure cut and simplicity already flared up last season at Prada, Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga. This can also be observed in street style, where the Armani codes such as long coats, oversized jackets and wide, high-waisted trousers are now combined with sportswear. Buzzwords such as “the new simplicity” herald a clear change in fashion, which is also making itself felt on the vintage market. Today it’s commonplace for us to mix and match styles from all eras, but it wasn’t always like this. It could even be argued that Giorgio Armani was the first postmodern designer to use the retro effect without exactly replicating original historical silhouettes, like Ralph Lauren did in the 1970s.
A classic Giorgio Armani look from the men’s collection for winter 1988Aldo Fallai
And of course we are interpreting the Armani style today through the zeitgeist glasses of 2023. If you want to be at the forefront, you can find suitable Armani items at low prices in second-hand shops or on vintage platforms, which spice up the look: a wide tie reminiscent of Al Capone’s style with a silk shirt (as in the Armani collections from 1991 to 1993) or an oversized safari-style jacket with a beret or borsalino, as in the late 80s collections. Flowing suit trousers or cotton slacks with wide legs immediately look much more contemporary with sneakers than ordinary jeans. Because: The new simplicity is not stuffy, the fashionable details just don’t impose themselves. Just as Giorgio Armani dreamed up in a visionary way more than forty years ago. Now is exactly the right time to rediscover the elegant casualness of yesteryear.
#connoisseur #buys #vintage #fashion #Giorgio #Armani