Silvana Armani from centre left, Giorgio Armani and Leo Dell'Orco stand with models after the Emporio Armani Spring Summer 2022 collection during Milan Fashion Week, in Milan, Italy, September 23, 2021.
It’s been on-again off-again for the past 19 months, and everyone is ready to embrace reopening, and with perhaps a little wardrobe shakeup. On the runway, the simple fashion response is denim and knitwear, and easy-to-wear shoes. The Emporio Armani preview for next spring and summer featured both menswear and womenswear, opening with denim suits in dark tones for her and patchwork for him, before transitioning to wispier silky looks like chiffony minidresses, or belted shirts or jackets over loose trousers for men.
Armani, 86, took a closing bow with Pantaleo Dell’Orco and niece Silvana Armani, the respective heads of the men’s and women’s design offices for all of Armani’s collections -- a concrete gesture indicating future creative succession. They all wore matching navy tops and trousers, with white sneakers.
His latest collection for next spring and summer was inspired by French writer Francoise Sagan, who, when forced by her parents to skip summer holiday on the Cote D’Azur to study instead, defied them intellectually and wrote a novel idealizing a romantic summer vacation. The color palette held neutrals of black and cream, navy and sand to flashes of yellow and orange, as well as beach-chair stripes. The footwear of choice was sure-footed sandals with rubber soles.