Armani – FW 13-14
The men’s project
A strong and precise image. No flirtatious provocations that often amount to little more than sly trickery.
Clean and essential styling that portrays a virile man, defined by outerwear with a broad silhouette and trousers with a clean cut.
Surfaces are opaque and warm , and underline the preciousness of the collection. Research into craftsmanship is key, and is evident in the fabric treatments and tailoring of the pieces. It is this quality of craftsmanship that brings together the apparently contrasting aesthetics of sportswear and classic menswear.
Thus, neoprene envelops precious materials such as velvet and suede – a contemporary combination that makes one re-think definitions of techno and sartorial.
Sportswear enters a new phase without renouncing to high-performance technical fabrics and treatments; luxury is expressed through the focus on precious fabrics and the practicality of the clothing. Leather is treated using traditional methods practiced at great Italian tanneries where hand dyeing is done with sponges and brushes. The refined knitwear is lightweight.
There are complex pieces created by the interweaving of cashmere and mohair in a sensual geometrical game of colours.
The colour palette is drawn from the established armani code, and is composed of tried and trusted hues, such as warm greys and shades of brown (including cocoa and colours referencing precious woods), which fuse with intense tones such as wenge, before passing to absolute black.
Ruby red is a key colour for this season. Aristocratic and precious, it runs through the collection following an elegant narrative path, standing out in the male wardrobe and reaching the pinnacle of an original, rich and magical chromatic pyramid.
Garçonne
It’s a way of living, and interpreting femininity – the kind of independent spirit that ignores conformism and all that is commonplace.
It’s an autonomous way of dressing and mixing pieces, a personal attitude to pairing accessories, that defines a particular style and character.
Garçonne features simple lines, while its perfect cuts and combinations of materials transform it into something decidedly avant-garde.
Black, its overarching colour, enhances the figure, emphasizing its shape with jewelled jackets, trousers and skirts-cum-bermuda shorts, as well as with long, hip-hugging skirts that end in a bias cut. Hints of white create luminosity and contrast, as do the golden fabrics paired with lacquered black shoes and accessories. Calculated eccentricity shines through in berets featuring special workmanship in woven velvet, their spherical forms adorning the head, as well as in exquisite suspenders, evening and daywear “garçonne” jumpsuits and embroidered tops. Woven, lacquered high-heeled shoes leave a luminous wake. Black onyx buckles are a common thread running through the jewellery, and make their mark on accessories, echoing the button motif that also runs through the collection.
