Armani

"Armani dresses the wife, Versace dresses the mistress."

Is a known saying in the fashion world but something I only discovered on hearing the words being uttered by Andrew Cunanan, the murderer whom the story centres around, in the grizzly dramatisation of The Death of Gianni Versace. As it turns out, the rivalry between these two Italian leaders in their field was one of the most notable within the industry. The Armani style is constructed to appear tasteful, consisting of vintage Italian elegance with just a hint of the indifferent film noir detective. It’s an updated take on 1930’s minimalism broken down to its bare bones. A loose-fitting jacket in Giorgio’s signature ‘greige,’ only differentiates itself from that distant decade in its formlessness as a gender-fluid signifier of professionalism. Ease of movement without rigidity; these garments are made for a modern working man (or woman’s) wardrobe. 

The Italian look found a home in 1970’s New York during a time in which it would almost seem that America was reaching back in an attempt to recreate its golden days of Wall Street success. The Italian sensibility is one that includes attentive tailoring, an endeavour to make comfort the companion of class and often times the combined effort of playful along with well-crafted. In the decades following World War II, Italian culture had a strong influence on American fashion which may be attributed to immigration, the resurgence of film noir (now in techni-colour!) and also to economic co-operation. A partnership was cemented between the two countries and by 1980 when American Gigolo hit the screens, Armani was completely in sync with the tastes and demands of the influential US market.

It was this film that drove Armani to a turning point, not just in terms of mainstream consumption, but in a move towards pleasing the American audience. The outfits worn by Gere were very similar to what was to be found in the white label line making its debut just as the film was being shown. It could be said that this new, ‘affordable’ range was a little less continental Europe and a little more modern-day America, in a word- informal. Ironically, the designer decided to revert back to highly structured suits in an unpredictable move that continued to pave the way for others just as the unstructured blazer was gaining traction world-over. From here on out the Armani jacket became the definition of casual cool, with credit to Hollywood where credit is due. 

So, the Italian look was making its way onto the big screen and bringing with it an appetite for more but the refined elegance of Italy’s fashion houses was already well-established and threatening to overtake Parisian haute-couture with the likes of Versace, Valentino, Gucci, Fendi, Prada and later on with Moschino and Dolce & Gabbana, but what made Armani different? Unlike his great rival Versace, Armani could not be considered garish or extravagant by any stretch of the imagination, in fact, his work was tasteful and subtle. The colour palate was usually muted, he made a feature of the understated and was confident in his ability to make high-quality tailoring do all the talking. Rebellious enough to make a statement by avoiding resorting to shock tactics, Armani was nevertheless, not beyond using marketing to his advantage and throughout his career used many a clever advertising ploy to capture public interest. 

In 1996 Armani collaborated with popular photographer and film director David LaChapelle to put together an advert which was playfully provocative, aimed towards the rival house of Versace. The ad which saw a female protagonist assaulted by a group of men wearing loud hip-hop paraphernalia featured a cameo of a peroxide blonde drag queen bearing uncanny resemblance to sister and muse Donatella, which was clearly meant as a pastiche of the Versace image. To my dismay, Salvation Armani, suitably titled as the white knights are clad in white Armani suits, is difficult to come by online. Despite not being able to view that specific film from the archives, it's easy to imagine it causing quite a stir.

Aldo Fallai, the photographer behind the black and white images which came to be associated with the brand name, was hired almost exclusively by Armani in his formative decades. These glamorous, filmic depictions are reminiscent of the chiaroscuro old Italian cinema came to be associated with, capturing the viewers’ attention by inviting the gaze inwards and in turn creating an intimate visual experience. In later years, after being criticized for not bringing anything new to the table, Armani decided to branch out with well-known pop photographer Ellen Von Unwerth who he commissioned to shoot for his advertising campaign around the turn of the century. This choice brought about an unprecedented use of colour which seemed a befitting response to the suggestion that he had become stale or predictable in his ways.   

 Still, it remains true that, for the most part, Armani left Versace to cater to the perhaps more extroverted, party-going clientele whilst focusing on those who strived for everyday sophistication. He was evaluated by some as creating a lifestyle brand that was a little too stoic, using models who came off as frosty and lacking in feminine attributes. When pacing coolly down the catwalk, an unnerving sang-froid demeanour serves as a signifier of true wealth - these designs are strictly reserved for those who can afford the good stuff should they wish to be doped up to the eyeballs! These graceful women were not unlike those dubbed ‘swans’ by Truman Capote whose choice of word here accurately captures the essence of self-preservation Armani models often take on. Genderless enough to hold their own, yet without any sensuousness- hair hidden, feminine features veiled. A breast that happens to be exposed means nothing when, as tends to be the case in high fashion, the male gaze is no longer predominantly catered to.    

Since the latter half of the last century, Italian clothing lines have all but taken over the high-end fashion scene. With several celebrities holding Armani’s simple creations in high regard, there was little need for the designer to go out of his way to endorse products with famous names until quite recently. Currently, Canadian musician Shawn Mendes appears to be the masculine face of the brand, most probably in an effort to snag the attention of a younger market. Typically though, the focus would’ve been held on the item of clothing rather than the face modelling it, yet in such celebrity-centric times, one could be forgiven for making the creative decision to use household names as talking points. However, with that being said, many stars choose to sing Armani’s praises for free including Jodie Foster, Samuel L. Jackson, Julia Roberts, Richard Gere… and so on.

‘Life is the movie and my clothes are the costumes’ Armani explains in Scorsese’s Made in Milan documentary and it would seem that the designer’s relationship with the entertainment industry makes a lot of sense when so much of his clothing resembles something that would not be out of place in an old Hollywood noir. Giorgio Armani successfully blends the mystique of Hollywood with low-key, uncontroversial suits that appeal to female actresses looking to avoid scrutiny on the red carpet. Taking what could be deemed a sparing approach to his profession, the designer leans on the staples of gender-swapping, simplicity, exoticism and evening wear, in the process he manages to turn effortless style into an art form. 

Sources-

Celant, Germano, Koda, Harold, Giorgio Armani, (New York: Guggenheim Museum, 2000)

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, dir. by Ryan Murphy, (Netflix, 2018)

Potvin, John, Giorgio Armani: Empire of the Senses, (Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2013)

Scorsese, Martin, Made in Milan 1990 (Rare Martin Scorsese Documentary on Giorgio Armani), online video recording, Youtube, March 3 2017, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2Hg6qeBirM>

with credit to unsplash for the use of the image.