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When “Sex and the City” lead Carrie Bradshaw sees Mr. Big step out of a Presbyterian church in Manhattan, she notes with particular reverence that he was “wearing Armani on Sunday.” Looking suave, slick and seductive, the sight leaves Carrie overwhelmed and she gives in to her impulse, accosting Big on the street — in front of his mother no less. The power of a Giorgio Armani suit.
The designer’s legacy has always been enmeshed in tailoring. In the 1980s, Armani offered a softer alternative to the hard-cornered, hyper-masculine power suits so popular in the decade. Then in the 1990s he streamlined the puffed-out silhouette altogether — designing slouchy yet sophisticated pieces in linens and silks still emulated on runways and red carpets today. His oeuvre is also synonymous with another subversion of the norm: Greige, the creamy, earth-toned hue which became a trusted leitmotif throughout the designer’s collections.
In his nine decades, the formally untrained Giorgio Armani has worked his way up from humble window dresser to Italian fashion behemoth — and has collected a number of fabulous moments in between. From Julia Roberts breaking the mold by wearing his menswear on the Golden Globes red carpet in 1990 to a living retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, Armani has left an indelible mark on fashion. In fact, he was the first haute couture designer to live stream a show on the internet — something many fashion houses treat today as a priority.
And although Armani once said “it’s important not to live off nostalgia,” in celebration of the fashion titan’s 90th birthday we have decided to indulge, momentarily, with a look back at his career highlights so far.
Courtesy Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani, suited and booted, in 1942.
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Armani photographed in Milan, January 1973.
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The designer launched his namesake label in the mid-1970s, after training at menswear brand Nino Cerruit. Here, Armani prepares for one of his first shows — Spring-Summer 1978.
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Armani outfitted the 1980 film “American Gigolo,” starring Richard Gere — a turning point in his career which enhanced his mainstream appeal.
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Armani working with fabric, 1982.
Rosanna Armani
Armani on holiday, 1988.
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At the Golden Globe Awards in 1990, Julia Roberts decided to forgo a frock in favor of a Giorgio Armani mens suit. The daring decision went down in fashion history and remains a stark point of contrast to the lacquered glamour of red carpets today.
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In September 1996, the designer threw a star-studded party to celebrate the opening of a new Armani store in New York. A throng of A-listers, from Naomi Campbell (photographed) to Winona Ryder, were in attendance.
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Armani began showing couture in 2005 under the sub-brand Armani Privé — meaning private in Italian, to emphasize the exclusivity of his handmade offering.
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In 2007, Armani became the first designer to ever show a collection live on the internet — a mainstay of fashion marketing now.
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Much of Armani’s oeuvre can be defined by “greige,” a color that reoccurs throughout his collections like a trusty leitmotif, shown here at Milan Fashion Week during his Spring-Summer 2019 show.
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At the Oscars earlier this year, Lupita Nyong’o arrived in a custom Armani Privé gown.
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In 2011, Armani debuted a high-sheen, liquid satin material during his Spring-Summer haute couture show at Paris Fashion Week.
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That same material, like poured liquid light, made another appearance in his latest show in Paris last month.
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At his most recent haute couture show in Paris in June 2024, Giorgio Armani takes a bow.
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