Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton have taken a step back in time to help legendary designer Giorgio Armani launch a retrospective of his work in London.
The two performers, who wore Armani creations when they appeared in the hit movie American Gigolo, once again donned his designs for the opening. "There wasn't an Italian fashion industry until Giorgio came along," enthused Lauren. "Suddenly with him, there was an industry. He did miracles for the GNP of Italy and I am still wearing clothes of his that I bought 25 years ago."
The designer admitted to feeling "very, very nervous" about the event, however. The 69-year-old, whose celebrity clients range from Sharon Stone to Gwyneth Paltrow, is famous for the simplicity and wearability of his creations.
But Giorgio was eager to point out that he's not averse to more striking designs. "I don't only do beige," he joked. "I had a lot of fun creating a lot of different shows. But I decided I had enough and wanted to add a lot of colour to my collections."
And the importance of the Italian's work was reflected in the venue for his exhibition. The retrospective of his 40-year career has gone on show at London's Royal Academy, which has never before permitted a fashion event.
"I am famous for saying that over my dead body would I do a fashion exhibition," admitted secretary Norman Rosenthal. "But the Royal Academy was founded 250 years ago to promote arts and design. Here we see a great artist and who has transformed all our lives, whether we wear his clothes or not."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
