Bravo, Mr. Armani!

On my last trip to Tokyo, I had the pleasure of viewing the Giorgio Armani Exhibit at the Mori Arts Center Gallery in Roppongi Hills. Originally presented at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the exhibit explores the cultural and sociological impact of Giorgio Armani’s designs on contemporary culture.

The exhibit has since traveled to the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain, and the Neue Nationalgalarie in Berlin, Germany. Next it will stop at the Royal Academy of Arts’ Burlington Gardens in London, and then to the National Museum of Roman Antiques at the Baths of Dioletian in Rome.

The presentation at the Mori Arts Center Gallery is the first in Asia and will run until June 5. Plans are also underway to bring the exhibition to Shanghai.

The exhibit was designed by acclaimed theater and visual artist Robert Wilson in collaboration with Serge von Arx (installation) and A.J. Weissbard (lighting design). Wilson, who is famous for his work on the operas The Magic Flute and Madame Butterfly staged in Paris, combined certain architectural elements – customized mannequins, projections, light and music – to create a series of dramatic landscapes for Armani’s work.

The exhibition is comprised of more than 300 garments, together with original sketches and audio-visual presentations spanning Armani’s 30-year career in fashion, which started in 1975. The exhibition features day and evening wear, suits and separates, short dresses and gowns, capes and coats in materials like – but not limited to – velvet, wool, silk, linen and leather.

Seven thematic sections divide the exhibit, each of which represents concepts in design that Armani has held close to his heart and which that he has repeatedly utilized in his collections. The first section, aptly titled "Palette & Structure," highlights the muted palette and relaxed garment structure that characterizes much of Armani’s work. The unstructured, body-conscious jacket and the androgynous suit showcased a new sense of ease and femininity that is pure, simple and clean but at the same time sexy. "Undiluted femininity" is how Armani describes the clothes in the first segment. The second segment, "Minimalism," draws its inspiration from the works of American artists Ad Reinhardt and Mark Rothko. The clothes are linear and minimalist in design, created in a "non-color" hue – a mixture of grey and beige.

The third segment is called "East & West" and rightly so, because it is inspired by the ethnic cultures of North Africa, India, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Polynesia and Japan. The clothes show hints of design elements from the caftan dress, Indian Mughal pajamas and shirts, Punjabi collarless shirts, long Paki tunics, Southeast Asian sarongs, Chinese porcelain and Japanese landscape paintings. The embroidery and beadwork on the clothes in my opinion is exquisite, priceless.

The fourth segment is Armani’s "Interpretation of the Feminine." Although he is known for his androgynous tailoring and muted colors, this collection features sheer, lingerie-inspired ensembles in flamboyant floral and vibrant colors often seen in the riotous palette and patterns of Henri Matisse’s works. The pinks, blues and greens are so vivid I could not take my eyes off the clothes.

The fifth segment pays tribute to "Armani and the Entertainment Industry." This section is devoted to Armani’s relationship with Hollywood, particularly the Oscar Awards and the films he created wardrobes for. Included in the collection were the orange gown worn by Halle Berry and the black gown worn by Zhang Ziyi to the 2004 Oscar Awards, the black long-sleeved gown worn by Julia Roberts and the printed silk gown worn by Beyoncé Knowles to the 2003 Oscars, and the sequined mid-length dress worn by Angelina Jolie to the 1998 ceremony. Also on exhibit were the long leather jacket worn by Samuel Jackson in the movie Shaft, the three-piece wool gray suit worn by Kevin Costner in the 1987 film The Untouchables and the costumes of Ashley Judd and Kevin Kline for 2004’s Cole Porter biopic De-lovely.

Next in the series is the "Black and White" segment, greatly influenced by the traditional men’s tuxedo. In this collection, Armani transforms the tuxedo into a feminine prerogative with women’s evening ensembles in black and white. The crisp tuxedo shirt becomes a ball gown with an untied bowtie that functions as a halter, and bodice that suggests tuxedo sleeves detached from the jacket, juxtaposing a subtle eroticism with uncompromising discretion.

Last in the exhibit series is "Light & Transparency." Done in a pale, shimmering palette, with decorative sequins and layers of transparent materials, the designs evoke a sense of mystery and elegance. The intricate beaded skirts overlaid with fine tulle shift between opacity and transparency and capture a sense of reflecting light and translucency.

Overall, Armani’s exhibition is a sight to behold, an excellent body of work that young and aspiring designers must take their cues – if not inspiration – from. Where certain fashion designers have compromised their art and parlayed their designs for profit and commercialism, Armani remains true to his passion of creating classic, well-tailored, elegant and simply beautiful clothes that will eclipse trends and transcend time. Bravo and auguri to Mr. Armani for his invaluable legacy to the world of fashion.

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For more information, e-mail the author at gtmatera@pldtdsl.net.