Giorgio Armani recognized as National Treasure

Rome dedicates a retrospective exhibition to Italian fashion master in celebration of 25 years in the business

Giorgio Armani triumphs in Rome, at the Diocletian Baths, with a retrospective exhibition. Over 500 suits and dresses are on display, until August 1, in one of the city's most elaborate places, amidst ancient domes, capitols, and Roman statues.
The May 5 official opening of this event, sponsored by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Electa, saw an assembly of politicians, entrepreneurs, actors, all sporting King Giorgio's unmistakable Italian style. Claudia Cardinale, Sophia Loren, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Virna Lisi, Chiara Muti, Mr. and Mrs. Massimiliano Fuksas, Roma AS striker Francesco Totti and his fiancée Illary, Ornella Muti, Rome mayor Walter Veltroni escorting Quincy Jones, movie director Silvio Muccino, Lucrezia Lante della Rovere, Giovannino Malagò, Lucio Dalla, Nicoletta Romanoff, were the ideal interpreters of a visionary scenery designed by a wizard of contemporary theatre, Robert Wilson.
Each hall displays a style, an epoch, a triumph of excellence, class, rigour, minimalism. Black and white, embroideries, precious fabrics, slate-coloured suits, tuxedos, effects of light and transparence, ethnic shades, exoticism... The suits worn by celebrities, as immortalized in giant posters with Leonardo Di Caprio, Martin Scorsese, Lady Helen Taylor, niece of Queen Elizabeth, Giuseppe Tornatore, Mira Sorvino, Julia Roberts, Kevin Costner, John Travolta, Raul Bova.
"King Giorgio? No thanks, you can call me Emperor...," joked the world-famous designer from Milan, confessing his love for Rome. "It belongs to us all, to the whole world. When in Rome, I feel at home..."
The retrospective, curated by Germano Celant, arrived in Rome following an international tour that paraded the great master's creations in New York, Bilbao, Berlin, and London, and that will bring them to Tokyo and Los Angeles.
"Every show was different from the preceding one," admitted Armani, "depending on the place, the atmosphere, the smells of the city. Rome? It allows me some strange transgressions, and if I think of some dresses sewn like peplos, I can see that ancient Rome influenced me, although subconsciously." As Bob Wilson remarked, "the exhibition is an uninterrupted dialogue between the present and the past, through experiments, avant-garde, creativity. Look at those statues," he pointed. "Handless, faceless, mysterious. They resemble dummies, dressed by the genius and the art of great designers."
The show also includes sketches, original drawings, video clips, and music composed by Michael Galasso for this occasion. The exhibition is a tribute to Giorgio Armani's 25 years in business, but also to his 70th birthday (on July 11), his career, the evolution of an unequalled style, of his idea of fashion and femininity.
Armani has been called an icon of 20th century design, much loved by Hollywood stars. Everybody can recall a young Richard Gere in American Gigolo choosing Armani suits and shirts. Seductive, simply irresistible. "That was a defining movie in the revolution of taste of the'80s," recalls Armani. "Richard Gere was exceptional in his outstanding physique." Other excellent movie collaborations include Brian De Palma's The Untouchables, Andrew Niccol's Gattaca, John Singleton's Shaft. Now the designer announced that he's just completed the outfits for Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd, the protagonists of Irwin Winkler's De-Lovely, on the life of Cole Porter.
Armani is also loved by stars off of the set. His clientele includes Kevin Spacey, Sean Connery, Russell Crowe, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jodie Foster, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck; when presented with Oscars, the last two thanked Armani for their splendid tuxedos.
Armani's ingredients are class, rigour, discreet elegance, and a never explicit sensuality. His suits tell the story of a man, his passions, his absolute vocations, and the revolutions in fashion.
Armani still hasn't announced his retirement. He prefers to joke, ironically. "When people ask me whether I plan to retire, I reply with a smile," he said. "I say, 'when I find a partner, then maybe I'll take a vacation.' But I know this isn't true. Fashion is the most beautiful thing my life has given me. It leaves you no time for breathing, it is a constant challenge. I think I'll continue to work for a long time. I'd like to create a permanent museum, and donate my collections to the City of Milan. It could be located in the Via Tortona neighbourhood, or the old Ansaldo factory where the Scala has its offices, and maybe even at Città della Moda," he concludes. "However, I'm open to suggestions from the city."

Publication Date: 2004-05-23
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3989