Giorgio opens new Armani Caffè and stages Emporio show

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Feb 22, 2019

Thursday was a busy day for Giorgio Armani who staged his latest Emporio show in the morning; opened his radically revamped Armani Caffé; and feted fashion week at an after party in his own personal nightclub in Milan.

His new Caffè is located in Armani’s main international flagship at 31 via Manzoni, a whole city block that includes the debut Armani Hotel, Armani Dolce, the restaurant Nobu, plus flower and high-tech gadget stores. 
 
“I wanted to make it into more of a late night spot,” explained Armani of his newly enlarged Caffè, which has been reimagined in green terrazzo flowers, matching fabric walls, and an aesthetic that manages to combine Giorgio’s favorite design era – the '30s – with a sleek Milanese modernity.

The new space includes a smoker’s section – helping to maintain the art of conversation between ever voluble Milanese – and a swish upstairs space, with late night dining offering fusion versions of Italian dishes, like delicious risotto with spicy scallops.
 
Earlier the day, the octogenarian designer presented the fall 2019 collection of Emporio Armani.

Entitled “Freestyle” it climaxed with a memorable image of a score of models marching in red – from scarlet frou frou cocktails and Ferrari leggings to crimson Gatsby flapper dresses and raspberry double breasted jackets. Even the giant Emporio eagle logo – tweaked a little – was in bright neon red.
 
If red doesn’t sound like a very Armani color, that’s because it rarely is. Matter of fact, apart from the snazzy finale this felt like a designer trying too hard to be hip. Giorgio clearly intended to take a few risks this season, and sometimes that idea looked great – such as the charming tailored boleros and denim jumpsuits.
 
But somehow, latex leggings under garish floral coats are not what we think of when the brand Emporio Armani comes to mind.
 
That matter little later on, when the Armani court finished feting his new Caffé, by descending into his giant flagship’s basement to the swish Armani Privé nightclub to dance until the wee hours.