Emporio Armani A/W 2018

Mood board: Armani’s Emporio line offers the weekend insouciance to counter the louche formality of the mainline. It is Friday to Sunday night dressing. The A/W 2018 collection follows a common theme, developing skiwear detailing and outdoor clothing which has been cited by designers for the last two seasons. The outerwear looked to the technical wardrobes built for mountain hiking, yet were offered in curly-haired sheepskin and pony-effect goatskin. The season tried to define a new elegance; one that the show’s notes suggested was ‘precious but not frivolous.’
 
Scene setting: the shows held within the colossal concrete walls of the Armani Teatro are always an eccentric affair; the models walked out in various formations, sometimes as couples, sometimes scattered into groups of four. As is customary at Armani, the colour palette mixed a range of greys, blacks and deep blue in keeping with more than four decades of house rules. A slender silhouette – small-shouldered, double-breasted suit jackets worn with flowing trousers – gave the boys an air of urban gentility on the glowing white catwalk.
 
Best in show: the collection was rich with majestic textiles like chenille, silk jacquard and velvet. Standout were chenille sweaters with fade-out patterns, velvet pantsuits in royal blue and a scattering of butterfly wings appliquéd onto tuxedos. Only at Armani would velvet make an appearance under the guise of outdoor pursuits. And you know, it’s downright fabulous.