Giorgio Armani is the living proof that age is just a number. At 89, he looks as dashing as ever in a tuxedo, and commands just as much star power as the countless megastars he has dressed over the decades. No wonder they call him King Giorgio.
In Venice for a new edition of his One Night Only event, he took in a standing ovation at the end of the Armani Privé fashion show. Held in the vast 16th century space of the Tese delle Nappe at Arsenale—lit to magical effect with the meticulous supervision of the designer himself—the show capped off a weekend of festivities. Guests were treated to a full immersion of glamour—cocktails on the designer’s 65-meter black super-yacht Maìn; an elegant candle-lit dinner held at the privately-owned cloisters of the Santa Maria dell’Orto church; and sumptuous lunches at Harry’s Bar, served with a side of some (luckily optional) rowing activities to shave off excess calories after XXL portions of risotto.
The event was a celebration of the 80th Venice International Film Festival and Armani’s enduring affinity with the movie industry. While many Hollywood celebrities couldn’t travel to the laguna due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, there was no shortage of heavyweights cheering the designer from the front row. Sophia Loren looked regal in an cream-white tuxedo; Jessica Chastain, whose translucent complexion could lit an entire room, sat alongside Luca Guadagnino and Benicio del Toro; Kerry Washington chatted with Ava DuVernay; and hearthrobs Regé-Jean Page, Louis Garrel, and Jesse Williams had girls in the audience fighting for selfies. Later at the after-party, Roisìn Murphy serenaded the crowd clad in a sinuous Armani sequined number, quite a departure from her usual boho flowing frocks, and Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney shimmied to Mark Ronson’s deejaying.
At a press conference before the show, Mr. Armani’s usual dry sense of humor and sharp-edged critique cracked a little, showing his more emotional side. He said he was moved by the affectionate welcoming that Venitians from all walks of life had given him. Many tried spotting the designer aboard his yacht; docked at Riva San Biagio, it was rather accessible to onlookers. An old Venitian lady wanted to take a selfie with the designer, and took out her iPhone. Armani got off the yacht and obliged. “She started to cry,” he recounted. “And I did too. I was so touched. That moment was such a reward for all the dedication I’ve put into my work over the years. Emotions are what make me feel alive.”
That’s why he’s always been drawn to cinema. “Movies are about emotions, and that’s what I’d like to give people,” he said. “I respect movie directors so much because they’re able to create something timeless. I wouldn’t have minded to try my hand at directing a movie.” Dreams and hopes can keep you vivid and vibrant no matter your age, and that’s definitely part of Mr. Armani’s enduring charisma.
The Privé fashion show reprised the harlequin decorative leitmotifs of the haute couture collection he presented in Paris in January. Here, he added more romantic touches to his trademark slender silhouettes, infusing the collection with generous amounts of spark, veiling glamorous red carpet numbers with flimsy sequined capes and fringed trains, and framing the models’ faces with ruffled collars and diamond-shaped fascinators. His stark minimalism seemed to soften, influenced by the Venice atmosphere. “Decadence sometimes makes hidden sentiments resurface in unexpected ways,” he said.
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“I am a rigorous creative,” he pronounced backstage after the show, thronged by well-wishers. “But tonight I wanted to give myself permission to show a different side of myself, to take some liberating license.” Asked about his idea of beauty, he said, “it’s something that comes from within,” and touched his heart.