Milan Fashion Week closed on a solemn yet moving note Sunday night with the final collection personally signed by the late Giorgio Armani, marking the 50th anniversary of his iconic fashion line. Held in the courtyard of the Brera Art Gallery, the black-tie gala drew Hollywood legends and Italian friends to celebrate a designer whose influence shaped global style.
Richard Gere, Lauren Hutton, Glenn Close, and Spike Lee attended the event, joining 129 Armani creations displayed alongside Italian masterpieces in a special exhibition. Among them was the soft-shouldered suit Gere wore in American Gigolo, a look that helped cement Armani’s status on the international fashion stage.
Gere reminisced from the front row about how the suit helped him embody his character. “I was trying the suits on, and I hadn’t decided how I was going to play this character at all,” he said. “The clothes actually started telling me who this guy was.”
Hutton, who co-starred with Gere, recalled a light blue suit and expressed her admiration for Armani’s role in Italy’s fashion economy. “He gave me a pair of diamond earrings. They are still the only pair I have ever had,” she said. Spike Lee called Armani “a giant for the industry. A great humanitarian,” while Close described the designer as “a very special element” in her life, noting his generosity in lending clothes and attending her performances.
The runway show itself was a study in understated elegance. Models walked slowly in pairs, with women half a step ahead of men, through the collonaded courtyard lit by glowing paper lanterns—the same lanterns that had illuminated Armani’s showroom for public viewings attended by thousands. Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi performed live, enhancing the reflective atmosphere.
The collection, coed in design, drew inspiration from Armani’s two Italian homes: the urban sophistication of Milan and the sandy, relaxed tones of his Sicilian retreat on Pantelleria. A palette of blues and greys merged with warm sandy shades, expressed in flowing tailoring and practical eveningwear, including pockets integrated into dresses—a testament to Armani’s enduring attention to the wearer’s comfort and needs.
One model closed the show alone in a glittering blue evening dress, drawing applause that echoed across the courtyard. At the finale, Armani’s creative heirs—Silvana Armani for womenswear and Leo Dell’Orco for menswear—received a standing ovation.
Giorgio Armani passed away on September 4, just weeks before Milan Fashion Week and the designer’s milestone 50th-anniversary events. At his passing, the Armani empire was valued at around €10 billion (nearly $12 billion). His will stipulated that his heirs sell a 15% stake of the business, including the Giorgio Armani and Emporio Armani lines, Armani Casa, and hotel ventures, within 18 months. Armani expressed a preference for buyers with expertise in fashion, naming LVMH, L’Oréal, and EssilorLuxottica as potential candidates.
The final runway highlighted Armani’s immense contribution to global fashion, inspiring not only Hollywood and Italian elites but also contemporary designers such as Stella Jean and Francesca Liberatore, who paid tribute to his legacy throughout Milan Fashion Week.
Armani’s last collection was more than a farewell; it was a testament to a life devoted to style, elegance, and the art of dressing the world with understated sophistication.
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