There’s nothing that says London quite like a bank of gray cloud and a blast of damp September weather. “It’s freezing!” said a still-sunkissed Giorgio Armani backstage after his Emporio Armani show on Sunday night. It was the first time in more than a decade that he’s shown in the British capital, and he’d clearly forgotten just how to inhospitable this particular northern climate can be.
To chase those gray skies away, he brought with him bags of sunshine in the form of diaphanous and iridescent fabrics, fluid silhouettes and colors straight out of a candy jar — sugared almond shades of mint, pink and baby blue. Cartoonish red crabs picked their way over sheer dresses and white tops, while naif star and flower motifs multiplied over jackets and skirts in this collection that mixed the sporty with the sweet.
Drawstring details dialed down the prettiness of floaty blouses and skirts, while a shower of shiny pink sequins took the hard edge off a hoodie. Sporty touches also came via the red lining of a white leather car coat and the bright red racing stripes streaming down the sides of fluid white trousers. Pink or baby blue suits came with tracksuit-style bottoms, while a magnified madras check on another, more tailored suit, nodded to hot afternoons in eastern climes.
Dresses were fairy-like and came in purple flecked iridescent fabrics, or with sequins and sleeves as airy as butterfly wings. Ruffles adorned the waists of spaghetti strap styles in pastels and frothed from the underskirts of drop-waist minidresses dipped in lilac, mint and white. What a way to chase the autumn chill.