Armani's cabaret pétillant

The Salle Pleyel on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré took on a night-time atmosphere. Small lights interspersed the seats. The catwalk was transformed into a mother-of-pearl stage. Everything was ready for the glittering cabaret branded Giorgio Armani Privé. The designer's haute couture collection returned to Paris after a season-long stop due to Covid-19 as an escape towards dreams, thanks to a monumental collection of 91 looks conceived under the banner of sparkling yet refined frivolity.

«The idea behind it comes from certain American movies, where a couple goes to a cabaret. There is a room with soft lighting, background music, someone whispering, someone kissing...», Giorgio Armani told backstage at the show. «I wanted to exaggerate these atmospheres, also adding a touch of sweet cheerfulness, telling the subtle pleasure of enjoying life. A new story translating into an image of a woman who wants to be sophisticated in a witty way». Many elements conveyed this feeling, telling of a rebellious elegance, punctuated by precious hints of the Orient. «I would call it esoteric atmosphere, more than exotic," Giorgio Armani pointed out, "because we know that the Western way of dressing always risks being a little stiff, dry and severe».

Under the lights everything was therefore a glitter of crystals, a triumph of embroidery, an explosion of colors and a study of shapes. The silhouettes precisely expressed this desire for rebellion, becoming at times dry and linear, at times vaporous and evanescent. Short dresses, evoking the roaring Twenties, were traversed by endless bangs of tinsels for contemporary gypsies, gowns floating on the bodies shimmered in floral patterns of iridescent shantung, sinuous dresses caressed the bodies opening into curvy necklines in contrasting colors, black velvet suits glowed in the night thanks to maxi crystal bows, sequined bodices sparkled with every step like precious mesh tunics and gowns.

Elongated jackets crisscrossed with dense embroidery, trousers described soft volumes and then tightened at the ankle. Hints of the Orient multiplied on surfaces and in details, while flashes of vibrant color interrupted the optical motifs of daytime suits, lighting up the palette of white, black and blue with flashes of intense blue and pink. Surprisingly, the finale relied on the total white of a pantsuit paired with a precious crystal cap covering the head. Like a sophisticated message of pure feminine energy.

Judgment. «The haute couture show must provoke, it must be something unprecedented. Otherwise, we would not be here in Paris presenting it in this way». Giorgio Armani made no secret of his great personal commitment and that of his entire team in putting together a monumental collection of more than 90 looks, some of which had already sold out before the show. Just as he did not hide his desire to, once again, give a lesson in fine dressing, according to the rules of good taste, while allowing a few risks in pure cabaret style. (all rights reserved)