Giorgio Armani misses Milan Fashion Week for the first time in 50 years, but his designs shine

By Colleen Barry

Giorgio Armani’s menswear collection for the next warm weather season encoded the geography of summer in textures, geometrical designs and his signature relaxed silhouettes.

The 90-year-old designer skipped the runway preview show closing Milan Fashion Week on Monday to recover from an undisclosed condition, but his fashion house said he kept a hand in the designs and watched the runway show on livestream.

It was the first time in his career that the designer was absent.

Dell’Orco takes a bow

Taking the closing bow in his stead was Armani’s longtime head of menswear, Leo Dell’Orco, who has worked alongside Armani for 45 of the Giorgio Armani fashion house’s 50 years.

“He liked it,’’ Dell’Orco told reporters after the show, adding that Armani was especially happy to see that he had sent male-female couples down the mostly menswear runway in matching looks, underlining their versatility.