8 years ago by
I always dreamed of meeting Mr. Armani.
I had seen him once or twice backstage and always really appreciated how kind he seemed. For me, Giorgio Armani represents the amazing, modern elegance of Italians. He’s immensely talented – a man who has revolutionized fashion, blurring all the lines between masculine and feminine, and he continues to work every single day with intense passion and discipline.
My admiration for him as a person is also tied to my great respect for him as a visionary. Armani didn’t stop with clothing. Very early, long before the word “lifestyle” was on everyone’s lips, he had a desire to make his vision extend beyond clothing. I am lucky to be able to write to you from his hotel in Milan (I’ll tell you more about the hotel in an upcoming post) and it’s crazy to see how far he’s taken the attention to detail.
So I am writing you from Milan, where I’ve come to dive into the world of Armani for a day. The show was this morning. And with Armani, everything is different.
First of all, in Milan, the most established fashion houses present their shows in their own spaces. They all have an area set aside for shows. At the “Teatro” Armani, there’s no standing – you get deep, comfortable seats. There’s no hysteria. There is a sense of relaxed mastery. Backstage, Mr. Armani is keeping busy. Like many creative geniuses, he’s reduced his style to a bare minimum. Most of the time, he wears a black tee-shirt which contrasts with his white hair. He keeps busy, speaks in Italian. Around him, he’s got a team who adores him and has been following him forever. Everyone whispers to me: Mr. Armani, he’s a total sweetheart.
At the makeup counters, there’s another thing that’s a bit unusual: the color palette for the next collection is created right then and there to match the collection of the day. I’ve talked to you about Armani makeup before, it’s amazing all the way down to the packaging – and that’s one of the secrets. The blends are created right there for the show, and that’s what all the colored vials you see in the photos are for.
Then the show begins, and once again, it’s unique. There are no star models, no Insta-pit, no blaring music. Everything is done to give attention to the clothes. At my first Armani shows, I didn’t really get it. Why doesn’t this powerful fashion house pay for the latest fashion girl? And then I understood that it was to leave room for the clothes. There’s a kind of self confidence that emanates from everything. You are transported into a certain world, an aesthetic.
The end of the show, when Mr. Armani comes out, is always my favorite moment. I don’t know why, but to me it’s like seeing Coco Chanel or Hubert de Givenchy. A true legend. After that, someone came to get me, and it was my turn.
Another thing I love about Giorgio Armani is listening to him speak. He has incredible honesty and candor, and in fashion that’s so refreshing. And most of all, he’s brilliant. One day I’ll do a podcast with him, now that we’re friends, I’m sure he’ll say yes ;)
We said hi to each other, sat down in our chairs backstage, and he was very clear with Erik and me from the beginning: this is my favorite side, take photos head on, I like them to be taken in front of a black background. He’s perfectly clear with himself and how he wants to be seen. The kind of thing I should take notes on… Once we were comfortable, he looked at me with his light blue eyes, and smiled.
And there it was!!! That sweetness I’d always liked about him, his humility and incredible elegance, that same elegance which I talk about in my book, the elegance of the greatest –the ones who have nothing to prove and treat everyone with the same warmth and respect. We started speaking in French. Yes, because on top of it all, he speaks impeccable French.
Garance: Thank you for meeting with me and bravo for the show. Also, congratulations on the Oscars!
Armani: It wasn’t too bad (smile)…
Garance: Not bad at all, especially since you dressed Leonardo Di Caprio and Cate Blanchett. And I also loved the actress Charlotte Rampling, I thought her dress was sublime. The thing I love is that you’ve always dressed women, all women, of every age. How do you dress someone like Charlotte? What did she inspire in you?
Armani: To start, you have to pull together a certain number of pieces so you can really imagine them on the woman in question. I don’t leave them total freedom of choice… Because it happens a lot…there are people who don’t have the knack for understanding what suits them and what doesn’t work. It’s not a given for everyone. You need someone to look at your face, your body, and put things together to make it all balanced, to make it something that’s very acceptable.
Garance: You very much created a brand that proposed an entire lifestyle, long before everyone else was doing it… How did it come to you? Do you think fashion goes beyond clothing?
Armani: I imagine a fashion world that takes into consideration how to dress, how to do a hotel room, how to choose one city over another for vacation… It’s a whole ensemble: there is no fashion without the hotel, there is no hotel without the city…
Garance: It’s like an art of living, really…
Armani: I can’t bring myself to say “art of living,” but it’s a choice, which is very important. You can make choices in life: many very different choices…but the difficult thing is making a choice for yourself. Making a choice that fits who you are.
Garance: Is there anything you’d like to add to your creative repertoire?
Armani: I have almost everything if you look… Ah yes, coming up with an itinerary wouldn’t be bad. I tried doing it when I was young, choosing Africa rather than the North. I think suggesting a way of seeing the world to people, that’s an art…
Garance: You’ve really revolutionized fashion. And actually I think that today you’re creating another revolution by staying yourself in the middle of the crazy spectacle that Fashion Week has become.
Armani: But at the same time, I try to stay up with the times… If you fall behind, it won’t work. That’s kind of the trick to my work, the risk in my work, rather…Being yourself, but at the same time, expanding your own mind, your own image.
Garance: You do it very well. And I have another question: my brand is currently developing, and like yours, it carries my own name. Do you ever feel like your name no longer belongs to you? Do you have any advice for me in that regard?
Armani: I kind of see my name from afar, now. It’s nice on the one hand, because it leaves me with a bit more freedom. But at the same time, I have my own name in my hands. It’s my life, it’s me. If I leave behind my name, I leave myself behind. That’s no good.
Garance: And what do your friends call you? Giorgio?
Armani: There are still people who, even after 30 years, still call me Signore Armani, and they really are friends… They’re afraid to call me Giorgio. I think that’s ridiculous.
Garance: Well thank you so much. This has really been a pleasure, I’m truly honored. I also wanted to ask you your advice on how to stay so beautiful? But I was afraid to ask.
Armani: It’s not me, it’s a doppelgänger!
_________
So there you go! I left feeling like I had wings, fully aware of the amazing opportunity I’d been given. Obviously, like always, I forgot to take a selfie with him. Next time, Mr. Armani!
Translated by Andrea Perdue
Oh ces photos sont sublimes! Tu me fais trop rêver!!!
Belle journée, Xxx
Julie, Petite and So What?
i love your outfit, garance! so minimalist and so happy at the same time! :)
http://littleaesthete.com/
Must be awesome to meet someone like that!
And I love your red pants! So relaxed but so chic!
https://sofaundermapletree.wordpress.com
Très bel article et interview qui transmettent une véritable admiration et respect pour Giorgio Armani, et également une réelle bienveillance. A la lecture de cette article on se sent en tous cas pour ma part réellement transportée.
Comme toujours les photos sont sublimes :)
Amélie
http://charlesrayandcoco.com/
A beautiful interview Garance, very elegant like you and Signor Armani..you can’t do something which is not you …maybe you can do one or two time..but not a life time Mr Armani have always..being honest to his style Elegant and timeless …being a designer is not limited only to clothes your voice is in everything you do and touch ….and since it’s your hand writing your style it will show everywhere..how can you separate a man from his surrounding his way of life his dream his red carpet ..everything is connected everything is one vision and a taste of one person… and Mr Armani proved himself through all this time…
a man can’t be separate from his vision you are what you do and you do what you are….
with love
Yael Guetta
http://www.ftwwl.com
Amazing!
______________________
PERSONAL STYLE BLOG
http://evdaily.blogspot.com
I agree, Armani stands alone, and his dresses at the Oscars were superb. Oh my god, Cate Blanchett’s dress! How does a designer do that year after year? I think it is his staying current. Congratulations on meeting him.
http://www.lookforthewoman.com
la classe !
Magnifique tenue !! Des infos please please !! le pantalon et le haut sont dingues …
Et superbe coiffure, superbe photo. Très belle Garance !
I am swooning over those dreamy colors. Oh my.
But it’s so wonderful to hear that Armani is such a lovely person. I often have found that the people who really know what they’re doing and who really know themselves are truly kind and easy to work with. But popular culture seems to celebrate the tyrants who are dealing (badly) with internal demons. Nice guys finish last, yada yada. Armani shows it doesn’t have to be so. A role model not only in fashion style but life style.
oh c’est magnifique, plein de… tendresse? je ne sais pas définir exactement ce qui se dégage de cet article, ces photos, cette interview… mais c’est très beau, un peu comme si le temps s’était arrêté pendant cette lecture. Merci :)
Meeting him..a dream!
xx
http://www.cherry-mag.com
I’ve always admired the Armani creations and this interview was so inspirational! Love your dreamy outfit as well!
http://fashion-soup.com/
Excellent reportage et des photos toujours aussi belles. (Le studio devrait faire un post sur Erik !)
La derniere photo de Mr Armani est sublime et la collection feminine et raffinee : le motif des chaussures assorti a la robe (5eme photo) est une idee geniale.
Dear Garance,
As someone who has earned her living for many years interviewing people, and still enjoys doing so, I always love reading your Q &A’s with fashionable people. I can imagine you were a bit nervous!
And, I am quite sure that I won’t be the first to ask for the details on what you are wearing. Especially that trench! Please, let us know where it came from!
Incroyablement chou et élégant à la fois!
I am not in the fashion arena but I would die if I met him! I just think that he is such a beautiful human being and his clothes are divine.
thank you. it’s a delightful interview.
re the show photos, I felt interested in the prints and also the shoes (especially the transparent effect).
re your personal photos, I really like that purse (color, texture). and also the entire color palette of the ensemble.
Stunning post. You have opened the way I see Mr. Armani.
Love armani –always so gorgeous
http://hashtagliz.com
Love this material on this dress!
Love,
http://www.thestyleventure.com
Cette dernière photo est bluffante ! Absolument fantastique ! Armani dépasse la “mode”, c’est tellement raffiné et stylé et quelle allure ! Intemporel !
Un post qui fait un bien fou, Garance ! Merci ! Comme quoi l’humilite, le don de soi, LA douceur, l’ecoute, et l’elegance de traiter tout un chacun de la meme maniere……cela fait du bien …et nos politiciens devraient prendre note de tout cela… Je sais, je suis hors sujet Garance, mais merci pour ce moment d’humanite de la part de Monsieur Armani et de toi.. bisous
Sublime collection. He truly is a master. I always wondered why a designer would want to bury their clothes in an over produced show. Mr. Armani understands that the star is the clothes.
Wonderful interview. It is more like sitting down to talk with a friend. I think that is your beauty, Garance. It is an art to interview someone well. In the end your brand is you and reflects the person that you become.
He is my favorite designer, has been for years…I’m 72 and love the feminine and masculine styles, clean lines, simplicity of all his designs….and my dream: to model for him…..yup, still have that dream…….
Where are the photos?? It’s not showing on your site!!!
Hi Paula,
This should be resolved now! Let me know if you’re still having an issue! x Emily
Hi Judith,
This should be fixed now! Do let us know if you’re still having this problem. x
Such beautiful pictures, the details of the collection are amazing! but what I loved most about the interview is what he said about choices, it’s true that in life we can face so many choices and often the most difficult is to make a decision for ourselves that corresponds to who we are..I find it to be true in life beyond our wardrobe ;)
Bisous!
What a great piece. I can feel your admiration and great experience vibrating out at me through your words! I also felt like I got to know Mr. Armani as well. How magnificent!
Beautiful dresses…and a lovely photo of you also, Garance. Mr. Armani is so elegant and has truly aged gracefully!
Superbe entrevue Garance !
great experience and thanks for sharing with us. love the collection, also like your look! :)
I had the pleasure of meeting him and I, too, was struck by his natural elegance and kindness. Un vero signore.
Garance I love your outfit!! Those pants!!!
What a wonderful experience and interview love this post.
Quelle classe il a !
Je l’adore et ses créations aussi, respect
PS : tu vas créer ta propre ligne de vêtements aussi Garance ???
Wow Garance did you pinch yourself to make sure you had not died and gone to heaven? What an inspiring interview did you ever dream you would be interviewing Armani? And the photos I die! Once again I am inspired to take that photo class.
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
I loved Armani’s Fall 2016 collection- classic and beautiful.
The models were perfect & they looked human!
Thank you for the wonderful article-
Great photos, Erik.
I think Armani is really a fashion legend. His clothes aren’t flashy, they’re classically beautiful. Women wearing Armani always look wonderful and they look like individuals, never fashion victims.
Like Yves St Laurent, he has always remained true to himself. Because he refuses to follow trends he was out of fashion for a while, but look at this year’s Oscars!
I also admire him for refusing to name a successor. That says to me that it’s about the clothes, not about the commerciality.
Très bel article et oui quelle chance d avoir rencontré Mr Armani et les photos superbes ! Belle rencontre
What a beautiful piece Garance! The images, texts and interview. Class. x
On aimerait juste que l’entretien soit plus long !
Très beau pantalon rouge Garance ! Sur la première photo on a l’impression, avec la lumière, qu’il est en cuir mais sur les suivantes on se rend compte que non, le tissu à l’air très agréable.
la France et Chanel ont Lagerfeld, l’Italie a Giorgio Armani…
I loooove Armani!!!!
Passa a trovarmi VeryFP
Super Garance !
Ton interview avec Armani !
Elle donne le ton et un brin de motivation !
Hello! Who makes your fabulous red pants?? Thank you!
Would love to see the photos of him you are referring to….he’s the best. My dream wardrobe.
Magnifique interview, chère Garance !
Et votre pantalon rouge… il est à tomber !
Love the minimal glam of his collections!
http://beautyfollower.blogspot.gr/
Bien longtemps que je n’avais posté mais cette dégaine, ton sourire et ces couleurs m’ont juste donné envie de te dire “wahou que bella”. Oui je me la joue pote mais qu’est ce que tu as l’air bien dans tes baskets (sublimes soit-dit en passant)…
La collection a l’air sublime! Belle interview, quelle chance d’avoir rencontre le grand Mr Armani, merci de nous le faire partager
Ce pantalon…. <3 <3 <3
Je suis tombée en amour de l’article , de Mr Armani et du sac violet . Puis je savoir de quel marque est il ?