Designer still seems like an outsider in 'haute fashion' Paris even after 40 years but his creations have Hollywood appeal
Giorgio Armani, who turns 80 on Friday, recently celebrated his 40th anniversary in fashion. His brand is a blue chip name all over the world; his legacy still relevant, a recurring reference at the recent Milan menswear shows. His name sells lipsticks, hotel rooms, table settings. And yet when Paris haute couture rolls around a roster where his name has been on the biannual schedule for a decade he still feels like the outsider.
This is not a criticism of Armani. If anything, it is a reflection on haute couture. Haute couture, the bespoke arm of fashion, is a world steeped in whimsy and a courtly attention to historical accuracy seldom seen outside of period dramas and that, with the greatest respect, is not Armani's thing.
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