“MFW Fall 2020: Giorgio Armani”

Giorgio Armani paraded behind closed doors. Meaning that no one could go inside, if not who was actually working in the backstage. We all know the reason why and even if we may not agree, the impact of the coronavirus is there and is perceived. Not only physically but also mentally. But what we can’t really imagine is how it can be a fashion show without an audience. What are the feelings on the empty and silent space around the catwalk, what are the emotions that Giorgio Armani himself felt when he went out to say hello to none.

Fashion shows are shows in the truest sense of the word and in the era of Instagram the idea of a show created in a private space, where the spectators are only those on the other side of the screen, should not frighten us. Yet there is something extremely sad, which leaves us dumbfounded, at the thought of those empty chairs. Like an abandoned stage. Like apocalypse’s aftermath. And the idea of the models going down the runway and the photographers photographing and the backstage workers holding their breath hoping that everything would be perfect has an anachronistic taste. But anyways. Armani has a special link with the East and with China. The Couture fashion show 2009 and then 2019 were both inspired by the Empire of the Sun and Armani decided to have some archive pieces at the end of the Fall 2020 as a sign of solidarity, in full Armani spirit.

As decidedly in line with the brand’s aesthetics was the collection itself. Dark spaces, a lot of velvet, classic and timeless lines that seem to have always been there. There is a good dose of vitamin pink and abstract floral prints. There are also applied bows that, together with velvet, make everything very girlish. The two ivory suits at the end are simply perfect.

Words by Giulia Greco