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Indepth Arts News:
"Giorgio Armani"
2000-10-20 until 2001-01-17
Guggenheim Museum
New York, NY,
USA
Giorgio Armani offers a thematic look at the designer's
evolution and contribution to fashion and culture over the
last 25 years. Garments from various periods are presented
in narrative clusters to express motifs that are visible
throughout Armani's career. Spectacular eveningwear and
interpretations of the tuxedo for women introduce Armani's
oeuvre. Also featured is the understated daywear that first
made the designer's reputation. Many of these fashions,
inspired by the cool clothes and warm colors of the North
African desert, illustrate Armani's signature sandy or
greige neutral palette.
Examples of sensual,
body-conscious suits for men highlight Armani's noted
androgynous look, along with masculinized jackets for
women that evoke Marlene Dietrich (an important influence
on Armani's embrace of suiting for women). This modern
style is tempered by the romance of tradition and historical
fashion, with references to the Directoire and Empire periods
and the Belle Epoque. These garments are presented in
conjunction with selections of spectacular beaded and
embroidered ensembles inspired by dress and textiles from
a range of non-Western cultures including China, India, and
Polynesia. Armani's interest in the East is underscored by his
minimalist approach to both day- and eveningwear, which
strips exotic dress to a sophisticated yet practical simplicity,
and the use of Japanese elements is directly visible in his
interpretations of the traditional kimono and samurai or
oroyoi armor.
Armani has described his clothes as costumes for the world
stage; Giorgio Armani presents many of the personae that
Armani has offered. On view are selected cinema costumes
as well as clothes familiar from the red carpet, worn for the
Academy Awards and other ceremonies that have become
synonymous with the glamour and cultural power of Armani.
A small group of sketches complements advertising
photography and clips from films that Armani has costumed
to yield a fuller picture of how the designer sees his own
creations and how they are interpreted by others.
Armani's look continues to evolve even as it maintains its
sleek, refined aesthetic. His more recent designs return to a
streamlined silhouette, with the same body-consciousness
that informed his first innovative efforts. The style that
established him as a celebrated symbol of the 20th century
is a harmonious balance of contradictions: the modern and
the traditional, East and West, black and white, the old and
the new, the functional and the fanciful, the elegant and the
casual. His style is sophisticated yet prêt-à-porter, conveying
a relaxed confidence, a sobriety and refinement, a
sensuality with a democratic mission. To acquire an Armani
suit has become a rite of passage, a symbol of success
sought or won. The very name Armani has become a
talisman, a sign of the designer's wide appeal and
integration into everyday life.
IMAGE:
Woman's evening jacket and pants (detail),
fall/winter
1990-91.
Photo by Ellen Labenski.
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