Giorgio Armani’s Final Show Honors 50 Years of Fashion

Milan celebrated the legendary designer Giorgio Armani at his final 50th-anniversary show on Sunday, attended by stars including Cate Blanchett, Glenn Close, Spike Lee, Lauren Hutton, and Richard Gere. Staged 24 days after Armani’s passing on September 4, the show was held at the Pinacoteca di Brera and marked the last collection ever designed by the iconic fashion house.

The collection showcased Armani’s signature elegance with light silks, dry linens, printed cottons, breezy tunics, pajama-style suits for men, and inventive deconstructed blazers and dhoti pants. Inspired by his island home of Pantelleria, the palette ranged from burnt sand and lava to stone and sea blue, while evening looks featured deep purple, sapphire, and azure in velvet and plissé silk.

Set in the neo-classical courtyard lit by tea-lights and accompanied by Einaudi’s Divenire, the show concluded with the final look displayed on a mannequin of Armani’s muse Agnes Zogla, earning a standing ovation from the 700 guests.

A post-show exhibition, “Giorgio Armani, Milano, Per Amore”, placed classic Armani designs alongside Renaissance masterpieces, including one of Gere’s iconic looks from American Gigolo. Designers such as Sir Paul Smith, Dries Van Noten, Dean and Dan Caten, Alessandra Facchinetti, Francesco Scognamiglio, and Ronnie Fieg attended to pay their respects, celebrating a career that shaped fashion for over five decades.

By ML staff. Photos/Armani