Armani's last collection shown in solemn runway show with Richard Gere, Lauren Hutton in 1st row
MILAN -- The last Giorgio Armani collection signed by the late designer himself and marking the 50th anniversary of his signature line was shown Sunday night in a solemn runway show that gathered Hollywood stars and Italian friends in tribute.Richard Gere, Lauren Hutton, Glenn Close and Spike Lee attended the black-tie gala in the courtyard of the Brera Art Gallery where an exhibition features 129 Armani creations in dialogue with Italian masterpieces.They include one of the soft-shouldered suits that Gere wore in “American Gigolo,’’ looks that helped catapult Armani to global fashion stardom.Gere said he had no idea the Armani suits he wore in the 1980 movie would make fashion history, but he said they helped him decide how to approach the role.“I was trying the suits on, and I hadn’t decided how I was going to play this character at all,’’ Gere told The Associated Press from the front row.
“And I had to do it very quickly.I had a couple of weeks to figure it out.
I started trying the clothes on, and the clothes actually started telling me who this guy was.’’Hutton, Gere's “American Gigolo" co-star, reminisced about a light blue suit that Gere wasn't sure about.She called Armani a “treasure” who contributed greatly to Italy's economy, and remembered attending a Giorgio Armani fashion show shortly after Gigolo came out.
Armani “gave me a pair of diamond earrings.And they are still the only pair of diamond earrings I have ever had,’’ Hutton said.Hollywood stars and friends alike honored Armani for his key role in helping putting Milan at the center of global fashion.“A giant for the industry.
A great humanitarian,’’ Lee said as he arrived for the show.Close said she wrote Armani letters on a regular basis, even if she never sat down with him one-on-one.“I’m here because he meant a tremendous amount in my life.He was generous about lending me clothes for events.
He once came to London to see a play that I was in.I felt l...