Grey – classic, clean, but in the wrong hands it can easily become bland, and this season Giorgio Armani made the decision to base his whole collection upon the run-of-the-mill hue, fabric wise, he chose, above all else, flannel, another decision that had the audience on the edge of their seats in Milan yesterday, restlessly anticipating where Armani would take the collection. To no-one’s surprise, the collection was impeccable.
The maestro of elegant design empowered women equally, and two by two, as they graced the catwalk in grey, invigorated by a fresh dash of glistening lime green, simply magical when united with the uniform grey shades. The sanitizing hues became layered quite often, and other times we were treated to just a whisper of the zippy chartreuse zing, as the duo of hues complimented each other superbly, from bulky wool pullovers, contrasted with body contouring, jersey-like, wool numbers, to some waffled silk and staunch snakeskin jackets, each exuding a comforting zest.
Sporty track pants, featuring elongating lime racing stripes, sweetly laced with the second colour of choice, made for a fun twist that current audiences will eat up. Tailoring was top-notch, soft, yes, but unmistakably Armani, it became rather adventurous at some points too, with undeniably swanky single-lapelled jackets, capturing the classic power-dressing lines of archetypal 80s opulence.
The enchanting ashy ombré eveningwear had the last shout, sorbet frosted with the citric colour palette for a perfectly piquant note, and seductively so at that, it’s safe to say that the garments occupants will fail to fade to grey. Grey was a safe option for Armani, but no means did that limit its dynamism, he frankly couldn’t go wrong with it, allowing him to create a modern corporate aesthetic, serene, and chock-full of the kind of subtleties that underpin Armani, who just adores leaving a great deal to the imagination.
by Liam Feltham
Images courtesy of Style.com