What we want? Tailor shop. When do we want it? Now.
Giorgio Armani went straight back to Emporio Armani's roots, offering flattering, soft-edged suits and jackets to his hungry fan base. After seasons of straying away from tailoring and experimenting with countless styles and colors (with varying degrees of success), Armani has returned Emporio to where it belongs.
Armani isn't the only one trotting out seasonless classics and focusing on what he does best: jackets and coats with finely sculpted shoulders in buttery fabrics.
It's a thoughtful move at a time when many luxury customers are counting their pennies, delaying purchases or renting key wardrobe pieces. Why not give them something that will make them look good and last a lifetime?
He even recovered the berets and round sunglasses that stood out in the first Emporio and Giorgio Armani campaigns. For fall, she added a modern twist, creating compact pillbox hats that sat at a jaunty angle on models' heads.
It was jackets, jackets, jackets from start to finish. They came in gray checks, or in navy blue wool, as part of a suit or as jackets with marked shoulders. For the evening there were velvet suits in jewel tones, blue or green, and a black jacket with a rosette at the collar.
There were coats for everyone, from demure guys to divas. A long gray style with a double button detail at the waist had a British school uniform vibe, as did a long black coat worn over a white blouse with a Tudor-style scalloped collar.
On the other hand, dip-dyed fur chubs and a Barbie pink leather jacket with a fuzzy hood and collar will look great stepping out of the backseat of a limo.
The clothes under all those layers had the same attitude. They included a pale aquamarine sweater with a sailor collar and a fuzzy gray one with small clusters of crystals on the back, as well as the evening line of sheer black skirts and dresses.
Of course, there were some missteps, including baggy sweatpants with elastic around the ankles and a long, dark dress with a rounded, elasticated hem.
Those looks should never have appeared in this (mostly) tremendous display of strength from the man who changed women's tailoring forever.
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