"In twenty years of Armani Privé, this is the first time I'm not in Paris."
While recovering from an injury, Giorgio Armani was absent from his haute couture show on Tuesday evening. He followed the preparations for his "Black Seductive" collection from a distance, but in minute detail.
" In twenty years of Armani Privé, this is the first time I'm not in Paris. During these trips, I breathe in the energy of the city, I get my fill of adrenaline during rehearsals. I miss all of that, I won't deny it, but I know I can count on the collaboration of competent hands and minds, who have always been by my side. So I was able to follow the advice of the doctors who, even though I felt ready to come, suggested I extend my rest ." Still convalescing after the illness that already prevented him from coming to pay his respects at the end of his men's show in Milan two weeks ago, Giorgio Armani did not therefore join the City of Lights this haute couture week.
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But this perfectionist left nothing to chance. " If I've gotten this far, it's thanks to the unwavering concentration and scrupulous attention with which I control everything. This is still the case right now. Although I'm not in Paris, I followed and supervised every aspect of the show remotely, via video, from the fittings to the running order and makeup. I validated and signed everything you'll see ," he wrote by email to a few journalists shortly before the show.
In his Parisian palazzo on rue François 1er, his loyal collaborators presented this Armani Privé collection for fall-winter 2025/2026, called Noir Séduisant, in two successive fashion shows. Seventy-eight silhouettes, like ink calligraphy, " in a ceaseless waltz between masculine and feminine ," he says, inspired, among other things, by the tuxedo spirit. He uses light-absorbing velvet in a bustier sheath dress, a jacket with pagoda shoulders, a peplum suit, or slim trousers paired with a tailcoat with frogging.
Between Café Society and Asian tropes, this very evening wardrobe explores the nuances of black enlivened by sequined embroidery, crystal studs, and floral appliques. " For a designer, black is the most classic color and at the same time the most difficult test. When you work with black, you have no room for error: every detail must be perfect, because black underlines the essence of a garment. "
lefigaro
