GIORGIO ARMANI CRUISE 2020 COLLECTION – TOKYO

Insula

For the first time, Giorgio Armani is presenting the Cruise collections with a special runway show. Tokyo has been chosen as its theatre, underscoring an affinity with the Japanese world that is first and foremost cultural. Beyond the shared love for clean and vibrant lines, what Armani and Japan have in common is an insularity that does not mean isolation, but rather knowing one’s worth and nurturing consistency in letting it grow.

Just as respect for tradition comes together with modernity in Japan, so Giorgio Armani lives on its own stylistic island in the fashion system, evolving his own codes along with the times, not easily giving into fleeting trends. For this collection, these codes find their essence in daywear and their raison d’être in the natural dialogue between body and clothing. The burnt, neutral colours along with the palpable, washed textures hark back to typical island landscapes.

The women’s silhouettes are fluid and vertical: jackets and dusters hug the bust, flowing out from pronounced shoulders. Fabrics commonly used in clean, masculine tailoring alternate with the washed silks of long gowns and with tortoiseshell-effect coated jacquards. Overlapping straps as fastenings on short coats highlight the eternal dialogue between the masculine and the feminine. Leather is a recurring theme: as piping, edging, and in jewellery. Colours range from neutrals to brown to blue, finally igniting in vibrant red. An interplay of weaves makes a statement on the shoes and boots, while nappa leather bags or tortoiseshell clutches feature soft shapes.

Soft tailoring sculpts the body in the men’s collection. Here, the gentle formality of double-breasted suits alternates with the refined casualness of knit jackets, pea coats and dusters with relaxed fits. Leather stands out as a strong, sensual touch in fitted bomber jackets, suede double-breasted blazers, and double-breasted shawl collar pea coats, while mixed lengths create silhouettes with movement. The colour palette favours chocolate brown and neutrals with soft touches of light blue and sand and bright pops of red and cornflower blue.