Giorgio Armani Mesmerizes with an Instagram-Ready Glamour for Spring 2020
Giorgio Armani couldn't stop smiling at the end of his Spring 2020 show as he walked out to greet the crowd alongside his closing model, Katya Bybina (who also closed Marc Jacobs back in New York). Some of that might have been due to the powers of a sunny, open-air show in putting everyone in a good mood. But perhaps, it was due to the new creations he had just sent down the runway, with cohesiveness and glamour that entranced the surrounding audience and earned significant applause.
For his primary line this season, Armani was working on the concept of lightness to further modernize his glamour. He started with the materials, enhancing looks with delicate fabrics like tulle, organza, and georgette. These mesmerizing fabrics were primarily in soft colors, like blue, pearl gray, and very pale pink. To bring it altogether as only a designer can, Armani then made them cut, fold, and curl into vaporous, evanescent forms, a reference to the voice of the nymph Eco, whose transformation into immaterial sound is told in Greek mythology following many vicissitudes among gossip, resentment, and unrequited love. In fact, artful sound was playing over the speakers as models walked slowly around a square space, mesmerizing the audience with expert sartorial timing.
As the 78 models rolled out, continuous references to nature were evident, through both the foliage of the prints and the iridescent evening dresses that resembled water through the way they reflected the light. The collection had a range of silhouettes, colors, and references, from tailoring to evening gowns, but somehow all that glamour felt cohesive. This (and certainly the sunshine) brought joyful energy to the audience and was a reminder why Armani remains such a fixture in Italian fashion.
