Evening dance after the Swish show

Most people tend to slow down when they hit 90. Not Giorgio Armani, who staged a chic and colorful Emporio show on Thursday night and celebrated the collection with a spectacular party.

Her invitation, stage, catwalk and backdrop were all black and white, and so was the collection, before exploding into a dazzling array of colours at the finale.

Its opening was quite classic in Emporio style: Indian rajah trousers, Nehru-collared jackets, waistcoats, dhotis and skullcaps in a colour palette somewhere between ecru and the palest grey. A couple of years ago, during the streetwear obsession, these items would have seemed dated, but now, in the age of quiet luxury, they felt hypnotic and bright.

Gradually, he incorporated floral patterns and Asian accessories, straw hats, coolie pants, Mao shirts. It is often forgotten how much the world's largest continent influenced Armani, and how well. In a sense, just as Bill Clinton is sometimes considered the first black American president because of his upbringing in a predominantly African-American neighborhood, Armani should be considered one of the greatest Asian designers.

In a mixed-gender show, Giorgio presented magnificent, airy menswear suits with wide, multi-pleated pockets – once again a style that current tastes have brought back into fashion. Many of them in ecru or white, as was the charming invitation and the backdrop, a 2000 campaign photo of a tender beauty with slicked-back hair that was quintessentially Emporio.

Everyone was applauded by a front row that included Italian singer of the moment Achille Lauro; singer-songwriter Khalid; svelte actress Sveva Alviti; 'The Thicket' star Esmé Creed-Miles; Zhou Yutong, the new female face of Emporio watches and accessories; Brazilian football legend and star of the Armani campaign, Kaká, with his beautiful wife Carolina Dias; and six Italian gold medallists from the Paris Olympics.

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At the end, Armani emerged from a phalanx of models to take a joint bow with his sister Silvana and his closest confidante Leo Dell'Orco. To thunderous applause, the trio were joined by Nicola Lamorgese, head of menswear design at Emporio Armani, and Marco Brunello, head of womenswear design, who between them have worked with Armani for more than half a century.

Who, if you think about it, and given his key role in Armani's remarkable influence on fashion in recent decades, should be considered one of the world's greatest designers? Today, one can think of dozens of designers with a quarter of Armani's talent who would never dream of sharing an ovation. But Giorgio, in the still fertile winter of his life, can proudly share his podium.

In a busy week, Armani also reopened his renovated and historic Emporio flagship store in the shopping mecca of Via Sant'Andrea, and filled hundreds of bus stops and billboards across Milan with the news. Not bad for a man who has just entered his tenth decade. This is a champion who is not ready to leave the ring.