Giorgio Armani seems to have a flair for tricky colours. Two seasons ago, it was mauve, worked in the shape of organza bloomers, a more than risky bet. This time, the Italian designer went with orange. In all its hues. Orange gold. Tangerine. Terracotta. Sunset. Saffron. Peach. Not easy to make it work but somehow the brand managed it, most of the time by combining it with the much more understated (and much more classically Armani) black tones.
The show opened with a series of two-piece suits slowly walking under the observing eyes of Isabelle Huppert and Nicole Kidman, the two most conspicuous A-listers in attendance. It isn’t hard to imagine them scanning for possible dresses for the Oscars, but would they go for orange? Perhaps, if it was in the shape of a long, chinoiserie-inspired simple crepe dress (one could easily picture Kidman wearing that one) or a sequined Mao jacket. The sari-inspired numbers - pleated skirts with lace trims bizarrely accessorized with feather boas - would probably not be their cup of tea, although they will probably find success with the rest of the Frowers in the show, most of them longtime clients and admirers of Mr Armani from the Middle East who, as one shrewd editor noted, “come to Armani for the quiet tastefulness. In a world of Zuhair Murads, the Italian maison feels like their Jil Sander”. In all fairness, the designer knows his client and what she is looking for. He knows how to somehow find a little element to surprise her every season while making her feel secure. And that, in itself, is no small feat.
