Giorgio Armani (1934-2025): The Perfect Fit

What gives you pleasure? murmurs the incandescent Lauren Hutton to a very young Richard Gere. As he luxuriates in his shirts, suits and trenchcoats, it is clear that clothes do. Gere’s swagger in American Gigolo (1980) transformed him into an American icon, catapulted director Paul Schrader to box office success, and took an Italian designer to red carpets around the globe. Forty five years later, the billionaire designer passed on peacefully but not before leaving a legacy of glamour, craftsmanship and power dressing that is yet to be equalled.

In a world where luxury has been corporatised, Armani remained an independent brand, yet diversified into every area of luxury consumer wear. even make-up. His clothes made icons out of movie stars, whether it was Jodie Foster accepting her second Oscar dressed in his suit, or Christian Bale savaging his way through New York in his unstructured suits in American Psycho (2000). Bale would wear Armani again as Bruce Wayne, reinforcing his enigmatic style.

Armani gave men the confidence to wear their suits with style, as statements not as straitjackets. And he gave women the ability to wear gowns in great fabric, solid colours, without infantile frills and bows. It made them look like women, not as off-the-shelf Barbies. It is no accident that some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, men and women, paid glowing tributes to him. If it were not for him. the red carpet would still be looking like a school prom.

 Elegance is not about being noticed, said Armani. It is about being remembered.

Indeed, wearing an Armani meant that. His artistry didn’t just inspire those who wore him, it also sparked the creativity of those who admired his fashion, like Martin Scorsese, who depended on him for many of his films, including stunningly Goodfellas (1990). As Scorsese said simply: I loved fashion, and he loved cinema.

Armani was one of the last of the artists, for whom every piece had to have his signature. His name may have become a conglomerate, but the former window dresser from Piacenza in Italy remained close to his handmade roots, having seen war, the death of close friends, the transformative power of technology, and coarsening of culture. The world may have been brutal and brutish, but an Armani gown or jacket always made it look better.

American GigoloArmanideathobituaryRichard Gere