Armani Privé FW23 Declares ‘Tis The Season of Roses

This fall, Giorgio Armani journeyed back to the age of Art Deco for his Armani Privé couture collection. Once known as le style moderne, Art Deco was born out of a mélange of cultures sewn together by the French during the opulent times of the 1920s. It features tessellated geometric shapes and colour-blocking, sometimes stylising humans, flora and fauna.

For this collection, Armani specifically replicated the period when Art Deco reached the Orient. The designer centred the rose as a motif – an ode to the flower’s immeasurable impact on the arts. He felt the flower was particularly emblematic of today, representing elegance and grace, delicate yet fortified with thorns.

The show began with a few looks that depicted Art Deco as the layman would know it. Beautiful but nothing new or particularly worthy of my undivided attention. It wasn’t until the fifth model graced the runway with a sheer embroidered and beaded shrug that my attention was seized.

I realised the intricacies embedded within the garment through meticulous beadwork interchanging royal blue, navy, white and grey. The beads formed an ensemble, bending and refracting lights, humbly unaware of the spell it was casting on the audience. Only with a trained eye would you have been able to spot the faint intricate etchings of flowers on the gold panels wrapped around the model’s legs.

It was here that the journey from West to East began.

Art Deco in the Orient

By the 1930s, Shanghai was the port where Art Deco found its home again. So much so that the city was named Paris of the East. Similarly, in Japan, the style was embraced with warmth as a kinship spurred with the French through a shared veneration for artisanal craftsmanship.

The designer effectively reproduced this kinship between Art Deco and the Orient through modern Chinoiserie and Japonisme. Initially, the blending of the two was a little stiff and confused; however, by the ninth model, Armani Privé found the perfect formula.

The muse had her hair delicately coiled into roses, ornamenting her crown. They were akin to the pin curls that dominated the 1920s and 30s. On her ears, she adorned a pair of rose earrings shaped to resemble the Chinese knot. It hung weightily and swayed with her steps. The centrepiece was a sparkling chiffon-panelled rose sensuously pinned between the model’s collarbones.

Armani Privé Accessories

Wealth and affluence have always been communicated through the little things. The little things that others could not afford to have. This subtle brandishing of wealth was deployed in this collection to legitimise the clothing through an extensive and unrivalled selection of jewellery and accessories.

None of the earrings was discreet. None hid shyly behind wisps of hair or remained confined within the boundaries of an earlobe. They dangled with purpose. Suspended with authority granted by the gems, diamonds and colours that embellished them. All of which contrasted with each model’s Geisha-like complexions and dark eyes. Their centrepiece was their taut scarlet lips and a carefully defined cupid’s bow – intended to invigorate carnal desire.

The black bowler hats mirrored a similar decadence. Red and black beads danced around it forming roses. Each hand was accompanied by a silk purse embroidered with imagery of flowers, dragons and temples.

Armani Privé Looks

One of the pieces which I found to be quite special was a see-through gown. Perhaps chiffon. Around the neckline, there was a cluster of bejewelled roses. One resembled something celestial, tucked just under the left side of the model’s chin. It was sizeable and multi-dimensional using a velvety fabric with tiny jewels glimmering even in static pictures. The top of her gown was dotted with gemstones, though it was intentionally asymmetrical. This fabricated a natural look, almost like freckles on her skin. Then, it unravelled from her chest to her ankles. Abstract roses made sparingly with beaded twine dispersed across the skirt like a waterfall.

I also particularly loved the blooms of geometric roses, red and black, smothering the models and forming a shrug. The other sculptural spectacle was the blood-red sash that resembled a planetary ring. Both these elements elevated their respective looks to a dimension that was otherworldly. It reminded me a little of Gaurav Gupta’s designs.

What really stood out to me in this collection was the beauty of oriental silhouettes and the colours and materials they use. The high necklines, elbow-length sleeves, and clothing are tailored to accentuate the female shape. The clothing holds space between fabric and skin, allowing the clothes to breathe. Giorgio Armani found the perfect formula, where East meets West. Its allure lies in its mystery, never hiding the body yet never entirely revealing it. The viewer is kept forever in carnal desire, always craving for a little more.