Armani Privé comes home to the Italian embassy

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Jul 4, 2018

Giorgio Armani returned home, at least partly, in his latest haute couture collection, staging Armani Privé for the first time in the gilded glory of the Italian Embassy in Paris.

Armani staged two shows, followed by a cocktail party in the embassy’s greatly admired garden in the heart of St Germain. He also broke ground with his bow, taking a full tour of the 18th-century French palace, shaking hands with Poppy Delevingne and actresses Juliette Binoche and Kristin Scott Thomas. Giorgio normally takes a brief bow, and never a tour of a runway.
 
It was a sprawling show of 96 looks, ranging from his crisp day suits, to cocktail hour black cady blazers, to a dozen shocking pink fantasies and then a hyper glamour finale.

In between there was a rather divine section of jet-black velvet statuesque columns – ideal Oscar winner material. One double-breasted tuxedo dress was so flawlessly cut it had half a dozen women visibly pointing in admiration.
 
And there was no shortage of glam in the front row, where Tina Turner sat proudly beside Roberta Armani, Isabelle Huppert and Elizabeth Debicki. Though that Australian actress looked like she should have been on the runway, so statuesque she is.
 
All the cast gilding around the reception rooms of the embassy underneath immense crystal chandeliers. Whereas Armani normally likes to show couture in a minimalist black box.
 
Outside, a massive traffic jam, as scores of political operatives came to visit the next door neighbor, in the Hotel Matignon, home of French prime minister Édouard Philippe.

“It sort of happened by accident that we discovered the embassy was available, but I think the architecture connected well with my style of couture, especially this season,” beamed a superbly tanned Armani, as he posed for photos beside Scott Thomas.
 
The Italian couturier put his atelier through their paces with a superb black velvet coat, embroidered with a golden outline of arms, elbows and hands in a brilliant visual trick. Before he went kind of crazy, with an iceberg-sized pink hat that looked made of candy floss – and more suited for Rio carnival than Hollywood royalty. 
 
He also had a profoundly shocking pink moment with a dozen looks in that shade, ranging from some drop dead gorgeous classy organza bustier dresses finished with crystals to a humongous pink ostrich feather coat. 

Diva heaven on the catwalk.