Giorgio Armani Brings Plenty of Sparkle to Milan Fashion with Main Line

Designer Giorgio Armani gestures during his Spring/Summer 2023 show at Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, September 22, 2022. (Reuters)
Designer Giorgio Armani gestures during his Spring/Summer 2023 show at Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, September 22, 2022. (Reuters)
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Giorgio Armani Brings Plenty of Sparkle to Milan Fashion with Main Line

Designer Giorgio Armani gestures during his Spring/Summer 2023 show at Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, September 22, 2022. (Reuters)
Designer Giorgio Armani gestures during his Spring/Summer 2023 show at Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, September 22, 2022. (Reuters)

Italian designer Giorgio Armani presented a light spring/summer collection with plenty of sparkle for his eponymous main line at Milan Fashion Week on Sunday.

The 88-year-old fashion veteran opened the show, called "Fil d'Or" (golden thread), with lightly-colored looks in sand and pale grey. Models wore elongated jackets and tapered loose trousers matched with golden bags and trainers.

He then turned to various shades of blue to present fringed tops and long dresses over trousers, a variety of both cropped jackets and beaded gilets paired with fluid skirts.

Many of the designs bore sparkling embellishments. For the finale, models wore an array of golden evening outfits consisting of sparkling sheer tops or gowns with sequined trims.

"I cannot manage making clothes without them having at least one sequin," Armani joked to reporters about the abundance of shine in the collection.

"A few years ago, it was out of place to wear an outfit with paillettes during the day, now it is accepted. The important thing is to wear it well," he added, repeating that the main theme of the collection was "lightness".

Models mainly wore flat sandals.

"This collection is inspired by other worlds, even if it is very Armani," the designer told reporters.

Armani presented the latest collection for his second line, Emporio Armani, on Thursday.

Milan Fashion Week, where designers are presenting their spring/summer 2023 lines, wraps on Monday.



It’s Met Gala Time! Get Yourself Suitable with This Guide on What to Expect

Met Gala celebrity chair Lewis Hamilton speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute during a press conference October 9, 2024. (AFP)
Met Gala celebrity chair Lewis Hamilton speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute during a press conference October 9, 2024. (AFP)
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It’s Met Gala Time! Get Yourself Suitable with This Guide on What to Expect

Met Gala celebrity chair Lewis Hamilton speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute during a press conference October 9, 2024. (AFP)
Met Gala celebrity chair Lewis Hamilton speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute during a press conference October 9, 2024. (AFP)

As springtime sunshine finally hits New York City, the Met Gala beckons — one of the most anticipated and visible parties in the world.

This year, the theme — “Tailored For You" — is focused on classic tailoring. As always, the dress code is inspired by the spring exhibit at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” is the first Met show to focus exclusively on Black designers, and the first in more than 20 years to have a menswear theme. The show looks at the evolution of Black style over the centuries through the lens of dandyism.

Here are some key things to know as fashion's biggest night approaches:

When is the Met Gala? The gala happens the first Monday in May — this year, May 5.

What exactly is the Met Gala? Not everyone knows that the gala is actually a fundraiser for the Costume Institute, the only self-funding department at the Met. Last year the evening brought in a whopping sum of more than $26 million to the museum's coffers.

Was it always this big? Definitely not. It started in 1948 as a Manhattan society midnight supper – held at various places like the Waldorf Astoria and the Rainbow Room. It took many years before it turned into a global event and one of the starriest nights of the year.

Who's hosting the 2025 Met Gala? Each year brings a new group of celebrity co-chairs. This year they are Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, and A$AP Rocky — along with Anna Wintour, the influential Vogue editor who always oversees the proceedings. NBA superstar LeBron James is honorary chair.

Who else is attending the Met Gala so far? Word on attendees trickles out slowly in the weeks leading up to the event. But this year there’s also a huge additional host committee with stars from various fields. (They don’t have specific host duties, other than showing up and, it goes without saying, looking fabulous.)

It includes athletes Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens, Angel Reese and Sha’Carri Richardson; filmmakers Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee and Regina King; and actors Ayo Edebiri, Audra McDonald and Jeremy Pope, and musicians Doechii, Usher, Tyla, Janelle Monáe and André 3000.

Also in the group are author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; artists Jordan Casteel, Rashid Johnson and Kara Walker; playwrights Jeremy O. Harris and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; and fashion figures Grace Wales Bonner, Edward Enninful, Dapper Dan and Olivier Rousteing.

Can anyone buy a ticket to the Met Gala? In a word: No. You cannot just buy a ticket. The right question is: If I were famous or powerful and got invited, how much would it cost?

If I were famous or powerful and got invited, how much would it cost? Individual tickets start at $75,000. Generally, though, companies buy tables. A fashion label, for example, would then host its desired celebrities. A table of 10 starts at $350,000 this year, as it did last year. There will be approximately 400 guests.

How strict is the dress code? The code is meant to be a guide, not a hard rule, and loose interpretation is encouraged.

How do guests spend the evening? Guests enter the museum and walk past an enormous flower arrangement in the museum’s grand lobby – always a talking point. Often there is an orchestra playing nearby. At the top of the grand staircase, Wintour and her co-hosts form a receiving line. Guests then head to view the exhibit, which is followed by dinner. The most hotly anticipated guests sometimes arrive around dessert time for maximum impact (we're looking at you, Rihanna).