Clean palettes, bold accessories for Emporio Armani
As a kid watching the Oscars on TV, I associated the name Armani with the understated elegance of Jodie Foster and the perfect suits of George Clooney and Tom Cruise.
Giorgio Armani was, in fact, one of the first designers to see Hollywood as a great marketing tool, making the Italian fashion label a household name.
Aside from its consistent presence in the Oscars, it has outfitted stars in major films since the ‘80s, like Richard Gere in American Gigolo and the entire cast of The Untouchables.
Founded in Milan in 1975, the brand has grown into a billion-dollar business by branching out into sub-labels such as Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, EA7, Armani Collezioni, Armani Exchange, Armani Junior, and Armani jeans — not to mention Armani Casa (home collection), Armani Beauty (skincare, makeup, fragrance), Armani Dolci (chocolate), Armani Fiori (flowers), and even Armani hotels and resorts in Dubai and Milan.
Among its diffusion lines, Emporio Armani is the one that is mainly designed by Giorgio Armani and gets a spotlight at Milan Fashion Week.
For spring/summer 2013, Emporio Armani showed a women’s collection with a clean palette of neutral hues.
A subtle gray plaid suit material is cut into a masculine jacket paired with high-slit shorts or tulip skirt. Perfect summer dresses are made of fluid knitwear and belted at the hip.
Matt opaque silks in beige and powder blue are used to create a sleeveless suit or layered strapless dress, while sheer fabric is paired over a degradé pattern. Shimmery knits in neutral pastel tones are cut into mini dresses.
The menswear, on the other hand, is a collection of jackets, knitted tops, shorts and trousers in hues of dark navy, beige, khaki, white, and gray.
Tailored jackets are cut close to the body, either single or double-breasted and worn over knitted tops or bare chests.
The menswear reflects Armani’s clean lines, made hipper through edgy shoes and bags.
Personally I found the accessories for both men and women exciting this coming season, particularly the women’s bags and clutches with metallic accents, and the men’s boxy bags and tech cases in glossy prints.
The women’s shoes are two-toned sexy, while men get to choose from a variety of hipster, comfy-looking shoes, either perforated or in glossy, bold patterns.
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In the Philippines, Emporio Armani is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists Inc. and is located at Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati.
