The concept of evolution, often defined as a process of descent with modification, was forefront this season at Giorgio Armani. Held in The Teatro Armani in Milan, Silvana Armani’s sophomore collection heralded a moment of ‘informed rebirth’ for the house. Having spent forty years working under her late uncle, Silvana is perhaps better informed than anyone to lead the Armani woman into her next iteration. This iteration, however, is not without an acknowledgement of the past; as the house confirmed in the show’s press release, ‘identity too can evolve without losing its essence.’
The collection read as a fluid ode to the elevated neutral. Monochromatic looks in cotton, resin and sequin harked back to Mr Armani’s love of minimalism, while graphic black-and-white tailoring stood in visual symbiosis with the grid-like architecture of the Teatro Armani, itself a repurposed industrial building. Overhead, a disco ball loomed, signalling a metamorphosis from theatre to discoteca. Reflecting on the inspiration for his revolutionary unstructured suits, Mr. Armani recalled that, for him, ‘the sound of modernity was disco’. For Silvana, the resurrection of disco became a means through which modernity could be reinvoked, only this time, the point of reference felt somewhat dated.
Ever present, too, were the 80s. One look saw louche suiting reimagined with a Grace Jones-esque power shoulder, its relaxed double-breasted fit intensified by a monochromatic geometric print. This code recurred throughout the show, with later looks dramatizing the otherwise relaxed tailoring through flashes of bare chest. The reference to Armani’s power era was entirely in keeping with the house’s identity, yet the promised continuity through change (the very premise of metamorphosis) occasionally fell short. There wasn’t enough change, and at times Silvana’s own point of view felt diluted in a paean to her uncle. One look was emblematic of this: a sequined bomber, fragmented like the remnants of an old disco ball, was interspersed with images of Mr. Armani in his prime. Could the question of identity be explored in a way that felt less on the nose? Comparatively, in look twenty celebrated house codes without feeling gimmicky. The proportions of the tuxedo were elongated, creating a silhouette that actually felt modern. A crisp white shirt, black tie and floral-accented white buttonhole struck the right balance between 80s clubland and modern dinner dressing.
Elsewhere in the collection, butterflies were invoked as a more literal symbol of evolution. Look fifty-four featured a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it butterfly pinned to the lapel of an oversized tuxedo. As the model walked, hands slouched into pockets, there was a hint of the deconstructed mid-70s menswear that made Armani famous. The padding was softened in comparison with the collection’s other suiting, while the black sequinned, butterfly-hemmed top underneath lent the look a playfulness. The motif returned in a look with black butterflies scattered across an evening gown. With appliqué wings sharpening an otherwise rounded neckline, to felt distinctly moth-like; the sense of nocturnal drama offering a welcome contrast to the safe-feeling neutrals that demarcated the rest of the collection.
The closing look brought the metamorphosis full circle. A deconstructed disco-ball dress sent glittering tendrils of fringe swinging around the model’s body, recalling the glittering fractured jacket earlier in the collection. This time, however, the transformation felt more cohesive. It was significant that Silvana chose to close the show not with a suit, the garment that made the house, but with a skin-baring sheer gown.
After a collection that occasionally struggled to move beyond reverence for its founder, the departure felt convincing: a celebration of Armani’s past that finally gestured towards its future.
