When Giorgio Armani passed away on September 4, 2025, the fashion world lost not only a designer but the very pulse of Italian elegance. Yesterday, Milan Fashion Week bore witness to his final act: a collection personally overseen by Armani himself, a farewell woven in fabric, light, and quiet grandeur.
Ritorni: The Collection That Speaks
The Spring/Summer 2026 Emporio Armani lineup, titled “Ritorni” (Returns), premiered in the very theater where thousands gathered to mourn. It was a show suffused with textural contrast, relaxed tailoring, and that signature balance: masculine structure softened by feminine flow.
- Jackets fastened with kimono ties.
- Raffia crochet caps nodding toward a holiday’s ease.
- Flat walking sandals and soft leather booties — comfort that never compromises elegance.
- Wide-legged trousers, oversized pockets, and forms that breathe.
The mood was one of transition — between seasons, between eras, between the man and the legacy.
Silhouettes, Textures & Tone
Armani’s final collection did not scream. It whispered.
- Palette leaned soft and hopeful: sands, muted greys, marine blues, olive greens.
- Draped fabrics suspending from ceilings echoed his mastery of fluidity.
- Architectural details in the theater mirrored tuxedos, lapels, and precise tailoring cuts — a dialogue between space and silhouette.
“Returning from a place of holiday before reality resumes,” read the show notes — as if Ritorni is that twilight moment, the golden hour of style before life fully returns.
Guests, Atmosphere & Emotion
Fashion’s front rows are always revealing — last night, they were sacred. Attendees included Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Spike Lee, Anna Wintour, Lauren Hutton — names that have intertwined with Armani’s story across decades.
The dress code: black tie, but many wore a T-shirt etched with a young Armani’s portrait beneath their tuxedo jackets. Each detail was homage. A live orchestra piano piece played; lanterns hung over the runway; applause carried weight and tears. Silvana Armani (his niece) and Leo Dell’Orco, longtime partner and collaborator, took the bow with models at the finale. The customary late-bow, however, remained unclaimed — his doorway left empty, glowing.
Sacrifice, Vision & Legacy
Giorgio Armani designed until his final moments, overseeing fittings and show plans even as illness shadowed his final weeks. His sacrifice was not dramatic — no flamboyant spectacle — but profound. He left a house grounded in his principles: tailoring that uplifts the wearer, not overshadows them; elegance that serves purpose; clothes that speak.
Now, leadership transitions — Silvana Armani for womenswear, Leo Dell’Orco for menswear — promise continuity, respect, and reverence. And though the future of the house is uncertain (there are reports of mandated sales of shares), the essence of Armani — the line, the light, the stillness — remains unmistakable.
Why This Moment Matters
More than the clothes, this collection becomes a statement — one of completion and new beginnings. In a fashion world hungry for novelty, Ritorni reminds us value lies in restraint, in craft, in what endures. Armani closes the chapter on his life’s work with dignity, style, and the kind of elegance that does not fade.
It is not just his last show. It is his lasting legacy.
