Giorgio Armani’s ‘Greige’ collection revives the louche spirit of 1990s Armani

'I think I’m a realist – I like to dress the daily lives of people, avoiding unnecessary flights of fancy,’ Giorgio Armani shared in a conversation with designer Paul Smith while serving as Wallpaper's guest editor in October 2022. A new collection, titled ‘Greige’, epitomises this design philosophy, seeing an everyday wardrobe imagined in variances of Mr Armani’s signature grey-beige hue.

The collection, which is available exclusively at London department store Selfridges until 17 November 2024, is designed to take you through the whole day, featuring 15 different styles, from cashmere knitwear to wide-leg trousers and louche tailoring, a nod to Mr Armani’s designs from the 1980s and 1990s. Currently, the vintage Armani silhouette is having something of a resurgence, seeming to inspire Anthony Vaccarrello’s A/W 2025 menswear collection for Saint Laurent (Simon Chilvers unpacked Mr Armani’s influence in Wallpaper’s September Style Issue), and enjoying rising popularity on vintage resale sites (in January 2024, Depop reported a 20 per cent month-on-month rise in the search term ‘vintage Armani’, while on eBay, it was up more than 90 per cent in the first two weeks of that month, according to the Financial Times).

Elevated everyday: Giorgio Armani's ‘Greige’ collection

The new ‘Greige’ collection offers an opportunity to adopt the nostalgic Armani silhouette without long hours searching resale sites. Having founded his eponymous label in 1975, Mr Armani swiftly adopted the greige tone, which has come to symbolise a kind of understated refinement. The new collection is also strongly influenced by menswear silhouettes. ‘An idea of womenswear evolved out of menswear,’ he said in 2022. ‘For me, the straightforwardness and efficiency of the masculine wardrobe brought into feminine territory produced a long wave.’ Long wool coats and structured blazers are an ode to this, and are key players in this latest collection.

‘This might sound rather obvious, but I constantly return to the softly tailored jacket,’ says Mr Armani, who turned 90 earlier this year. ‘In both menswear and womenswear, it shows an ability to endlessly evolve while being consistent with my design values. A jacket is an everyday item, a very pragmatic piece that nonetheless shows the immense power of clothing. It gives presence, stature and dignity. And it is one piece: you attain more with less.’

Giorgio Armani’s ‘Greige’ capsule, is available at selfridges.com and Armani’s Sloane Street store.