MAN, I FEEL LIKE A WOMAN
With feminism making waves across runways, Kenny Rosmi looks to Giorgio Armani, and how the Italian designer played a part in giving women the power to wear the pants.
Drawing inspiration from the glamour of the ’40s and the revolutionary woman of the era, Katharine Hepburn, Giorgio Armani fashioned a new silhouette to convey a fresh approach to modernity, power, and luxury for women in the ’80s. Indeed, Hepburn, fully cladded in menswear in George Stevens’s Woman of the Year, was iconic—just as iconic as Armani’s version of feminine power suits decades later. 1975 marked the beginning of Giorgio Armani’s empire. The rumpled jacket, unlined and deconstructed, gave subtle hints of the body beneath. The jacket was so desired for its loose silhouette and relaxed mood that it became an immediate success, but what catapulted him to international fame was when his suits were worn by Richard Gere in American Gigolo. Not only did the film exemplify Armani’s trademark elegance and sensuality, but it also gave birth to the first mainstream acknowledgement of a power suit’s value. It comes as no surprise then that his success in menswear and design philosophy trickled into the womenswear department. Armani was inspired by women’s needs for something that would give them the distinction and attitude to help them cope with their professional life. His design philosophy follows three golden rules: eliminate the superfluous, emphasise the comfortable, and acknowledge the elegance of the uncomplicated.
His functional, comfort-driven take on fashion eventually resulted with a pragmatic invention that had a strong social impact: his suits became something of a uniform for women to convey substance and authority. From Glenn Close wearing his suit at the 1988 Academy Awards to Cate Blanchett embodying the Armani woman in one, women have power dressed to communicate their confidence in a male-dominated world.
Establishing minimalism as his signature, Armani power suits were initially tailored with conventional menswear fabrics. He experimented with slimmer silhouettes, exaggerated padded shoulders, ultra-wide lapels, and deconstructed interiors that granted his jacket its loose and fluid appearance. His sense of rebellion and his penchant for experimentation were the winning combination that came to be known as the defining characteristics of his genius. Armani is still pushing fashion forward by looking back and updating his past works, and has unfailingly found ways to refresh the tailoring that forms the backbone of his empire, with colour, texture, and shapes suitable for new occasions.
For Autumn/Winter ’17, Armani featured a wrap skirt-pant hybrid as the key element of his designs. However, mohair jackets and coats were still the highlight of the show, worn over sheer pleated blouses. Daywear was given a dramatic treatment with high-necked and flared-waist chromatic micro-print suits. Analyse the jackets, sliced in new proportions, and the comfortable pleated satin trousers cut just above the ankle—all very much part of Armani’s oeuvre. Bustiers came with flared tops and column gowns, while maxi skirts were paired with a tube or a slinky top, and colours segued from a fiery red to vivid shades of green and blue.
Armani showcased a collection of leather bomber jackets at the prestigious Sala Bianca fashion show in the ’70s—when using leather as everyday fabric wasn’t the norm—and this fondness for using materials in unpredictable contexts continued with his implementation of velvet this season. Outfits were draped with velvet accessories in vibrant, precious-gem hues, or deep and dark tones. The abundance of soft fabrics such as velvet, satin, and fuzzy mohair served as a reminder that Armani’s effortlessness is distinctly deluxe.
While the idea of power suiting remains a classic notion, it has most certainly evolved—the pantsuit today is freed from its masculine heritage. Designers such as Jil Sander and Helmut Lang led the ’90s with their androgynous tailoring and track-star approach, and in recent years, Phoebe Philo at Céline and Demna Gvasalia at Balenciaga carried on the legacy, sending out suits that mirrored powerful women of the era.
That’s the spirit Armani has always evoked in his women, and the voice of the brand has remained intact with his vision and designs until today.