Giorgio Armani – The Man who Revolutionised Suits

Among the names behind designer labels, one which deserves to stand out is Giorgio Armani. This is because he has unquestionably made a real contribution to men’s style and men’s enjoyment of clothes.

Fashion wasn’t on his original career path. For several years he studied medicine before taking up clothing design.
Armani had a solid grounding with Nino Cerruti prior to setting up his own business in the 1970s.

Before Armani, the world looked to Savile Row for the lead in men’s clothing, especially suits. Savile Row continues, rightly, to be one of the great centres of men’s clothing. However, if the Savile Row tailors had a fault leading up to the 1970s, it was their tendency to use heavy fabrics, lining and padding.

Armani grew up in the milder Italian climate. His great contribution to men’s clothing was to make clothes from lighter fabrics and to eliminate the heavy lining and padding, characteristic of English suits.

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The Armani suits worn by Richard Gere were lighter and less structured than suits which had gone before. Armani suits could be worn both for business and in less formal settings without looking stiffly out of place.

The less formal items of Armani clothing  in the film are also very stylish.

The two hours’ running time of American Gigolo stamped Armani on the minds of viewers everywhere. It’s still regarded as the ultimate brand promotion on film.

The Armani clothes worn by Richard Gere had a two-fold effect. First, the suits he wore were lighter and less structured than suits that had gone before. Put simply, a suit in a more formal or business setting could now be more comfortable, but still look stylish. Armani also showed how a less structured suit could be worn in less formal settings and not look stiffly out of place. These are his great contributions to suits.

Second, the less formal items of Armani clothing in the film are also very stylish. This is the second effect of Armani. His elegant, fine casual clothes show that dressing casually can still be very classy.

Til next time,

Have a stylish day,

Andrew