Guests attending the Giorgio Armani show in Milan on Sunday were once again invited to the small 200-seat theatre that sits beneath Mr Armani’s Milanese Palazzo on Via Borgonuovo.
The theme was Maquillage — or makeup — yet while models had pastel pinks and blues gently powdered around their eyes, this was less a collection for dressed-up nights out as it was a wardrobe for entertaining at home.
The lights came up on three women chatting on a sofa, before the first model stood up and walked the marble runway. She wore bronze satin slacks, a lightweight, loosely buttoned trench and beige Oxfords with a black patent toe. She also had a dainty black beret perched on her head, as did many of the models to come.
Mr Armani has built a £6 billion empire dressing women that want to look polished but not corporate and fashionable but not edgy. And the 74-look collection he showed on Sunday stuck largely to his greatest hits: slouchy trousers, cropped jackets and languid dresses.
Everything felt fluid with a homely effortlessness: from silky skirts, pyjama suits and satin evening trousers in beige and bronze, to a few incredibly elegant floor length dresses. Tailoring, a brand staple, also had an ease to it — think tweed blazer thrown over griege cashmere cargos, or a pale salmon pink waistcoat paired with oversized salmon slacks.
Leopard print made a rare appearance in the form of a belted faux fur coat, but it was the section in candy pink that felt most alive. A shiny satin pink zip-front collared jumpsuit looked primed for a fabulous palazzo party.
