Expressing a sober and sophisticated sense of chic, there is a new elegance about the Armani Collezioni Donna collection which presents a mood of controlled luxury for the autumn winter 2007/08 season.
The defining feature is a purity and precision of line that inspires new shapes, both restrained and fluid at the same time. It has a decidedly feminine appeal enhanced by a colour palette based on cool and powdery tones with highlights in pastel shades.
This collection presents a clearly defined winter look in which the logic of the shapes and the precise nature of the detailing combine to deliver ease of movement, while the over all impression is one of romantic charm. Indeed it is through movement that the collection reveals its secrets: a glimpse of a precious lining, the finely crafted inner elements, a new approach to colour contrasts.
Especially appealing is the perfect judgement with which the tailoring has been constructed, something which is apparent in the anatomical accuracy of the cut (which introduces new proportions), the handling of the details and the selection of precious fabrics.
The result is without doubt a new degree of luxury: knowing and assured, mature and never loud.
For the day the collection favours a classic look based on perfection of line and geometric treatments of shape and volume that underline the dynamic quality of the woman of today. The silhouette is always soft and active, the fabrics glossy and positive. The aesthetic is one of uncompromising modernity, and it unfolds through contrasts that seem to allude to opposite poles, contradictory views; the collection retains certain anachronistic features and breathes life into them, resulting in a new vision, precise and disciplined but at the same time eccentric and intense.
With the new suits the focus is either on small jackets over skinny trousers or svelte and short skirts, or a marked alternative – long, almost 7/8 jackets over ultra-slim trousers stopping short at the ankle, worn over bare skin as if they were dresses in unexpected proportions.
Overcoats and cabans slide lightly off the shoulders and flare out towards the lower hem, achieving surprising lightness through the choice of soft and warm fabrics such as mohair and cashmere with sable trim. The coats are also teamed – as if they were cardigans – with simple fitted dresses enhanced by subtle pleating, or straight with superimposed layers of satin and georgette in a series of prints in a particular shade of copy paper blue.
The more traditional fabrics – mini geometric, Prince of Wales, check and chalk stripe – acquire a new vitality from the innovative construction of the garments and the novel juxtapositions of materials.
The colour palette this season is made up of intense shades. Beige and cool brown encounter mineral grey across a range of tones, from pearl to anthracite, via a specific earthy grey. Meanwhile, bluey greens with metallic flashes unite with powdery sky blues. The palette is completed with orchid pink, true sky blue, pistachio green, deep violet, mauve and white. The dramatic intensity of total black and the deepest navy blue is much in evidence – these colours chase one another in a sophisticated and harmonious sequence that runs through the whole collection.
The woman who favours Armani Collezioni is one who leads an intense and busy life, aware of her own femininity and individual charm. She is keen to choose her own wardrobe in total freedom and likes to dress with an intelligent hint of irony.