When it comes to tailoring, Giorgio Armani has always stuck to what he's (very, very) good at. By regularly opting for refinement over trend-led reinvention, the designer has mastered the tricky art of consistency.
Just take a look at the brand's latest 2020 cruise collection, Insula, which was unveiled in Japan on Friday. Set amongst the glossy, greyscale halls of the Tokyo National Museum, a co-ed line-up featured an abundance of unstructured structure: soft, loose tailoring that dialled down on typical Milanese polish.
Casual knit jackets and suede double-breasted blazers played a buffer in looks that could've veered on the formal end of things. Factor in a palette of chocolate brown and neutrals too, and here's a collection that is as subtle as it is Giorgio Armani. Nothing tried too hard to push the requirements of a mid-season wardrobe, and nothing deviated too far from the Italian designer's ethos, either.
In an age when his contemporaries aim for grander, bolder, bigger events - especially for the cruise and resort window - Armani leant on the familiar, introducing his trademark to Japan as the house reopens a recently renovated 12-story Giorgio Armani tower in Ginza. The result was contemporary. Despite the minimalism on offer, it broke new ground across 124 separate looks. It brought the label into the future without trying too hard. And yet, behind the mixed palette, the relaxed silhouettes and the refined casualness, it was still Armani. Consistently so.
