Daily Front Row

2009 February 27

Runway Review

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Giorgio Armani Fall 2009
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(MILAN) What's love got to do with it? The disembodied voice of Tina Turner begged the question at Giorgio Armani, and the answer, of course, is everything. For Fall, the titan looked back to the eighties, a glorious period for the house that Armani flirted with quite literally last season. This collection catered to the rocker instead of the nymph, with supremely styled sophisticates in ruthlessly lean suits and patent-leather caps. Last season, the gowns concealed to reveal. Not so this time. Gunmetal cobwebby beaded gowns, layered atop glittery flat boots, simply bared it. Not just skin--too obvious--but attitude as well, a tremendous silhouette that proclaimed how wide Armani's sphere truly is. In fact, the gutsiest pieces were daywear, namely the narrowest possible pants, dramatically lined capes, and the best jackets in the business, finished with a drape here, a beaded fastening there. The palette was signature Armani--gunmetal grey, murky navy, and black, black, black. The lightest touch came in the form of an abstract floral print, which appeared in a cocktail dress and jacket. Mostly, though, the look was a tough, timeless urban uniform for times that require such boldness. In a word? Splendid. Clearly, the models knew it--after three steps on the runway, they paused to pose, ambling towards the photographer pit while twisting, twirling, and preening. The applause-prone audience appreciated it in full.