STYLE Edit: How Giorgio Armani pushes the boundaries – but not too far – with his latest evening wear collection
Italian designer cites seventies and eighties fashion ‘free for all’ as the inspiration for his ready-to-war collection
“Nighttime is a moment that invites you to be a little more daring, to sparkle a little more freely,” Giorgio Armani, says of his Giorgio Armani autumn/winter 2019 collection. “Nighttime is a welcome plea to push the boundaries, without going too far: it’s part of my vocabulary, sophisticated and natural.”
The Italian fashion designer cited the seventies and eighties, when fashion was something of a free for all, as the inspiration for his hedonistic evening wear theme. The 85-year-old designer fondly remembers observing the fashion and faces at Studio 54 in New York and Plastic nightclub in Milan.
In this ready-to-wear collection, women walked alongside men in a show tied together by Armani’s ideal vision of nocturnal life – and the colour blue.
We see blue in all its iterations – from a bright pops of Egyptian sapphire blue, to steely greys, against the canvas of midnight black.
The Caban Coat in a deep, dusty blue shines on the dark catwalk at Armani/Silos, Armani’s exhibition complex. The wide-fitting satin crepe jacket features a hidden zip, wide collar, and most notably, frill-effect sleeves.
The entire look is a wonderful contrast as Armani balances the frill with high-rise, black velvet Jodhpur trousers.
As much as Armani pushes the boundaries of evening wear in his uninhibited use of sparkle and textiles, we are still treated to his famously clean, tailored lines.