Armani adds manly touch to women's spring line

Giorgio Armani

From Elsa Klensch
CNN Style Correspondent

• Click to see the collection

MILAN, Italy (CNN) -- Giorgio Armani has given his feminine fashions for next spring and summer a masculine twist, drawing inspiration from the sleekness of the 1920s and '30s.

The models at his October show in Milan, looking almost identical in short, dark bobs, wore suspenders for daytime and nighttime to show a relaxed attitude. They never abandoned a sense of luxury, says the designer.

"Let's call the woman of my new Giorgio Armani collection 'garcon,' like from the '20s or '30s -- but, obviously, a garcon for year 2000," the Milan designer explains.

"I haven't redone the '20s or '30s, but I tried to give the image of a woman who's very strong, masculine, but very feminine at the same time -- very, very sexy and confident in her own identity," he says.

GALLERY Click to see the collection    VIDEO CNN's Elsa Klensch reviews the 2001 Armani spring/summer collection Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     SPRING/ SUMMER 2001 Collections: Marc Jacobs Ralph Lauren Betsey Johnson Anna Sui Giorgio Armani

"The fabrics are incredibly luxurious, and the forms are very sophisticated. But it is sort of masculine femininity ... so while I was inspired by the '20s and '30s, it's very much an image for the year 2000."

Armani's collection has a black-and-white theme (a matching that pairs black with eggshell and ivory hues), augmented with eveningwear that reflects the colors of dawn or dusk -- violets and blues.

"There's a lot of trousers. There are some dresses, about 20 of them," Armani says. "Skirts are just above the knee. I've also done Bermuda shorts. They're cut on the bias to give them a lot of movement, and they're also very light."

Armani pairs high heels with the Bermuda shorts, but matches flats with eveningwear. Beads adorn many of the evening clothes, giving them a shiny look. Makeup is sophisticated, emphasizing the eyes against a pale skin.

By using models with similar looks, says the designer, he was able to emphasize his clothes, not those who wore them. Still, Armani says, he recognizes that many types of women wear his fashions.

"You won't notice the top models in the show. You won't be able to recognize them." Armani says. "It's about having this one concept, this one woman."

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Giorgio Armani

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