(7 Oct 1996) Italian/Nat
One of Italy's most famous designers joined forces with one of the world's greatest guitarists to bring Milan fashion week to a close.
Giorgio Armani showed off his Spring/Summer 1997 collection to music written especially by Eric Clapton.
And Alberta Ferretti attempted to buck the Milan fashion trend by showing that seduction doesn't have to mean that women bare all.
With a company worth $300 million dollars a year, 62-year-old Giorgio Armani is a cut above the crowd.
His clothes express the quintessence of traditional Italian fashion: beautiful quality, high- price tags and conservative styling. He insists that his clothes are for sophisticated people with more on their mind than appearance.
The music for the fashion show has been specially composed by Eric Clapton for Giorgio Armani. But, on this occasion, the rock star gave up centre stage to the clothes and instead took a seat in the front row.
The designer's collections for Spring/Summer 1997 address the sophisticated woman's urge to escape conventions, to interpret her expressive potential, to wear something that seems to be specifically designed for her alone.
The silhouettes enfold the body without excessive constriction; a love of Oriental refinement; exactingly researched, precious fabrics; details to be enjoyed and worn in a particularly personal way.
Fabrics are the principal players of the collection: sophisticated and light, sometimes translucent, with textured surface effects or glossy with a shimmering iridescence and shot with gold thread.
The material embraces lightweight linen and silk knits, feather-light shiny shantung, satin, double organza, silk and linen candy.
The jackets clothe the body without constricting it; buttonless jackets worn over the skin; fluid little kimono-cut jackets; duster-length shirt-jackets. Dresses cut close to the body, but not too tight, often finished with subtle knitted details.
Lots of transparencies in line with the trend of this season, and also spaghetti-strap shoulders.
Grey tones, for which Giorgio Armani owes his inspiration to the works of Anish Kapoor, the Indian sculptor. But also strong, incisive, vital colours.
For the evening, delicate and sophisticated embroidery accentuates the tones of a printed fabric; tattoo-effect embroidery highlights translucency.
Alberta Ferretti has been defined one of the most solvent female fashion designers.
She held her first fashion show in Milan in 1981, and nowadays she is known all over the world.
Different lengths of material descend gradually towards the ankle, sliding effortlessly over covered legs.
And again in line with all the other shows, lots of transparencies but with an effort to stay away from the trendy nude look of this season.
SOUNDBITE: (Italian)
"It is true that this season we've talked about transparencies, petticoats, I have tried to go against the trend but at the same time, keeping in mind the needs of women and so offering layers of transparencies."
SUPER CAPTION: Alberta Ferretti, Designer
Light featherweight suede for square cut jackets or the little coatdress made in heavy silk. Like a fan of colour tones bleached by the sun: from white to ecru to water-colours splashed with black or paired with solid black.
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