Emporio Armani S/S 2010 / MFW / Day three

First out: A gray jacket and flippy skirt with a hint of a schoolgirl’s uniform. This charming look suggested that for his Emporio Armani collection Giorgio Armani would carry fall’s young, spunky spirit into spring. And so he did. But unlike last season, which radiated polish from start to finish, here Armani went bipolar, changing course midway through — and seldom for the better.

The first half — delightful! Armani focused on jacket dressing of a jeune fille sort, dressing up minis, cuffed shorts, even bloomers. The jackets were plentiful and diverse: blazers, spencers, a boxy shape covered in scalelike scallops and a big-collared number with an air of sporty romance. Throughout, the neutral palette of grays, navies and whites tempered spunk with sophistication.

Then, bam! An abrupt change, heralded by a tomato-red blazer over a turquoise dress as Armani took off on a pattern- and color-laden odyssey that dizzied and confused. Bright with brighter. Orange and fuchsia ran rampant. Florals with wiggly stripes. One or two of the wackiest swimsuits imaginable and a stretch of fishnet topping off some of the more memorable ensembles. Upbeat it was — to a fault. And it left one longing for the calmer pleasures of the show’s opening.















































































© by WWD / Photos by Giovanni Giannoni

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