MILAN FASHION WEEK SPRING/SUMMER 2026: DAY 6
GIORGIO ARMANI
review by MAREK BARTEK
all images GIORGIO ARMANI provided by the brand
It is hard to believe, but yesterday marked the last time Giorgio Armani’s designs would ever step onto a runway. And yet, nothing here felt like an ending. Upstairs in the Pinacoteca di Brera, the 50th-anniversary exhibition reminded us that Armani’s language was always one of consistency—evolving through the decades but never losing sight of its essence. The clothes carried that same truth: familiar, reimagined with the lightness and clarity that defined his style from the very beginning.
Armani passed away earlier this month at 91, turning this show into something far more poignant: a living retrospective. The casting itself was a chapter on its own, bringing back models who have long been part of the House’s story. A few, visibly moved, walked with tears in their eyes, honouring a man who shaped their careers and the industry at large.
The collection flowed in archetypal Armani codes: muted greige, deep navy, softened masculine tailoring, and the fluidity that liberated men’s and women’s wardrobes alike. Global influences surfaced in sari-like wraps, beaded tunics, and shimmering fabrics that caught the light with imperial purples and crystal blues. There was richness, but always elegant, a sparkle that never tipped into something seen as “too much”. A woven leather vest recalled his earliest experiments with craft; a lean, precise men’s look felt almost like the platonic ideal of Armani tailoring.
Armani had a weakness for chic headwear, and so it came as a slight shock not to see any on the runway—a signature absent, perhaps symbolically, for the first time.
The finale brought a top (styled with a flowy skirt) embroidered with Armani’s own portrait serving as a reminder that his image, like his vision, remains a part of the legacy he’s built. Silvana Armani and Leo Dell’Orco, his chosen successors, stepped out to warm applause. As Lauren Hutton put it after the show: “He will live pretty much forever, or as long as we’re going to be here.”