JENNIFER ANISTON AND BRAD PITT IN MILAN FOR THE UNVEILING OF ARMANIS LATEST COLLECTION

June 28, 2001Jun 28, 2001, 11:00 PM GMT+1

With A-list celebrities including Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and George Clooney lining the runway, Giorgio Armani previewed his spring-summer 2002 menswear collection in Milan this week to rapturous applause.

Giorgio, who back in 1980 dressed Richard Gere in American Gigolo, is a favourite in Tinseltown, having outfitted the likes of Russell Crowe and Benjamin Bratt for the 2001 Academy Awards. “Actors like me because I let them be normal,” says the famed designer.

Shaft star Samuel L Jackson and Where The Heart Is beauty Ashley Judd were also guests at Armani’s downtown palazzo, to watch the unveiling of the fashion maestro’s latest collection which included trousers with a apron-front detailing and transparent shirts featuring velvet embroidery.

Armani, whose work is currently on display in a retrospective at the Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain, was instrumental in reinventing the suit over 20 years ago and continues to define the popular male form. His latest look – modelled by AC Milan football player Andrij Shevchenk, among others – was cut mainly in silk and featured rounded shoulders, pointed lapels and straight-cut trousers, in hues ranging from bright blue to steel grey.

Models paraded down the catwalk to Russian pop music, which underscored the collection’s Eastern European influences. Giorgio is said to be fascinated by the East and is planning to open a boutique in Moscow later this year.

Hollywood's hottest couple were at Giorgio Armani's 2002 spring-summer menswear preview, along with Ashley Judd and Samuel L Jackson

George Clooney took time out of his schedule to chat with his Ocean's Eleven co-star Brad Pitt at the star-studded Milan showcase

Armani, whose works are currently featured in a Guggenheim Bilbao exhibition, is a favourite among Hollywood stars. "Actors like me because I let them be normal," says the designer

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