A Collection Meant To Be Seen In Real Life By Giorgio Armani
Armani Prive Fall/Winter “Shine” 2021 Couture
For his first show in over a year with an audience, Giorgio Armani held the Armani Privé in the Italian Embassy in Paris where full-length gowns brushed against attendees’ knees as the models made their way through the narrow salons.
Armani’s previous collection during the lockdown was inspired by the empty streets of Milan, but now as the world is opening up again, his creativity was sparked from joy and lightness. “I wanted this to be a collection about rebirth, about a new sense of blossoming and freedom of spirit,” Armani told British Vogue.
The 87 year-old designer painted liquefied silk organza and layers of chiffon in the pastel colors of the rainbow, creating an haute couture wardrobe founded in freshness and elegance (in true Armani style).
The idea of coming back to live shows didn’t have an impact on the designer’s work. This collection was created in the past several months so Armani and his team weren’t even sure if there would be a proper show or not. “I am happy that we will be presenting it in front of a live audience because I think that all the impalpable and floating shapes need to be seen in a real environment and on a moving body to be fully appreciated.”
Water-like organza stole the show. The material moved with the models’ bodies, giving the effect of rainbow colored fluid. The Italiano icon created trousers and dresses out of this “rainbow fluid”, adding his signature filtrage, layers of transparent fabric, to create sensory overloads that make you think you took shrooms before the show. He refers to the technique as “halos around the body,” a presence that can’t be seen through a screen.
And on top of that, Armani added shimmery floral embroideries and watery sequins to the pastel palette which added to the illusions dancing in your head. “The looks that mean the most to me are those dresses that are so transparent and liquid that almost look like water, or like halos around the body. I think that with our ateliers we were able to capture a sense of levity and luminosity that can be seen throughout the collection,” said Armani.
This collection includes 15 pieces from his previous show so they could be seen IRL by the audience. Timelessness is a central idea in all of Armani’s collections: no clothes are meant to be over in one season. Without an expiration date, his clothing can be appreciated at any time and will always be longed to be worn.
“The message I want to convey is one of hope, because I truly wish we will soon come out of this very dark tunnel,” said Armani.
To take a look at the entire collection watch the video below: