PARIS (AP) 鈥 Armani Priv茅 opened Tuesday under an unmistakable shadow. For the first time in the 20-year history of his couture house, Giorgio Armani was not present in Paris to take his bow.
Days from his 91st birthday and following doctors鈥 advice after a recent hospital stay, Armani reportedly oversaw the show remotely from home, a moment of absence that lands heavily for a designer who has shaped every one of his brand鈥檚 collections since its founding.
The show鈥檚 theme, 鈥淪eductive Black,鈥 played out with literal and symbolic force on the runway: black in myriad forms, from liquid velvet and lacquered silk to pav茅 crystals and flashes of gold. Even the models鈥 makeup followed suit, rendered in shades of gray.
For some in the front row, the relentless palette felt pointed. Guests quietly wondered if the choice of black was a coded message from the maestro himself.
Armani missed Milan, too
This is not the first major show Armani has missed this season. Just weeks ago, he was forced for the first time in the label鈥檚 history, following a brief hospitalization.
According to the brand, the absence was a precaution to save energy for his Paris couture appearance.
For decades, Armani 鈥 often referred to as 鈥淩e Giorgio,鈥 or King George, in Italy 鈥 has been both the creative and business force behind one of fashion鈥檚 last great independent empires.
The Tuesday collection balanced tension and control. After an uncertain start, including velvet jodhpurs and stark crystalline seams, Armani鈥檚 familiar codes quickly emerged: tuxedo jackets transformed into evening gowns with plunging lapels and floating bow ties, tailored blazers worn on bare skin and military-inspired equestrian jackets paired with slim velvet pants.
Bursts of embroidery and colored feathers provided a balance from the monochrome.
A living fashion ma
estro
Armani鈥檚 recent absences have sent ripples through the industry. In a landscape dominated by conglomerates like and Kering, Armani remains the sole shareholder of his company, personally overseeing every collection for nearly 50 years. In 2024, Armani Group reported revenues of $2.5 billion, while is estimated at $11鈥13 billion 鈥 even as the global luxury market faces headwinds.
Armani is widely credited with redefining men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 tailoring, pioneering gender-fluidity in fashion, and inventing celebrity red-carpet dressing, from Julia Roberts to Cate Blanchett. Yet the designer himself has acknowledged that age is now a reality to deal with and that pulling back could be a necessity.
Whether the monochrome collection was a deliberate metaphor or simply a showcase of discipline, 鈥淪eductive Black鈥 felt personal 鈥 both a mood and a message, perhaps an understated nod to a master whose presence, even in absence, remains absolute. As the show closed, the final bow belonged to the models alone. But Armani鈥檚 vision 鈥 uncompromising and unmistakably his 鈥 filled the room.
