Where other designers feel the need to reinvent every season, Giorgio Armani believes in “credible fashion” that doesn’t change drastically, but captures the current of what’s new. With over forty years in the business, including a foray with the design house of Nino Cerruti, Armani is one of the most recognizable names in style. A celebrity clientele list that includes Kate Capshaw, Tina Turner, Thora Birch, and Jodie Foster, solidifies Armani as one of the most sought after stylists for some of the most influential women. In the 90s Giorgio Armani positioned the shoulder pad, created the wedge-shaped power suit, and dressed a decade of prestige and affluence that was defined by what and whom you wore. Today Armani takes a nod to the past with a distinct look towards a softer, more self-assured woman of the future whose power is no longer measured by the rigidity of a masculine culture.

Armani’s first menswear collection hit the catwalk in 1974. One year later he introduced his womenswear line consisting mainly of men’s jackets in women’s sizes. His SS’09 “Joy To Wear” show made a reference to the past, showing double-structured sartorial jackets in traditional suiting fabrics lined with chiffon or organza and paired with pleated pants in fluid jerseys, but with an inference to a more intersexed interpretation of today’s more self-assured woman- mode and structure are still relevant, but the softer side of the female identity found in diaphanous palazzo pants and Grecian column dresses remains securely sanguine. It is this attention to layering and texture and an interplay of contrasts that defines the Armani appeal and underlies understanding the complexity of his female’s identity. “To create something exceptional, your mind must be relentlessly focused on the smallest detail. I believe that my clothes can give people a better image of themselves- that it can increase their feelings of confidence and happiness.”

While Giorgio Armani’s career path began in medical school, he quickly realized that his handwork on human construct would be better utilized in deconstructing gender identity through fashion than pathological conditions. The rules of contemporary design are best kept within a simple approach that is not necessarily burdened by sex specification. Dressing women calls for an aesthetic that can be easily accessed- being noticed without being objectified, showing strength without compromising a women’s sexuality. Armani says, “ Often the purest elements and simplest cuts are the most elaborate and difficult to achieve. If you want to create beauty, do only what is necessary and no more.”

The substance and verdure of an Armani woman is rooted in defying archaic notions of submissive blending into society. She survives the challenges that could steal her dreams. She is true to her own free spirit and uncompromised by the confrontations of a patriarchal sodality. Armani has created a woman with a style of sophistication that can never be underrated. His dedication to the female refinement lies not in costumery, but in showcasing, praising, and proudly displaying the goddess’ masculine and feminine energies unabashedly.

Paisley Dalton