Giorgio Armani, the late master of Italian fashion, often anchored his couture collections around a single color or motif — pearl, bamboo, a specific hue — and for her first solo outing at the helm of Armani Privé, his niece Silvana Armani chose jade. With that choice came a clear signal of independence and her own design instincts.
The late, great Giorgio Armani often based his couture collections on a color, or a motif like pearl or bamboo, and his niece Silvana Armani, now steering Armani Privé solo, chose jade for the spring show while asserting her own will and style preferences.
Hence, there were no little hats, for which Mr. Armani had a sometimes unfortunate weakness; only 60 looks in the show, as opposed to the usual 100 or so, and lots of loose and easy pants because the Italian couture house is known for daywear, and she finds them easy and sensible.
Surrounded by racks of clothes and Italian journalists at a preview, she stood arms crossed in a hooded navy sweater, slim navy slacks and navy and white sneakers, not dissimilar to the founder’s uniform.
One journalist noted that Silvana Armani is now the only woman leading a major Paris couture house, following Maria Grazia Chiuri’s departure from Dior and Virginie Viard’s replacement by Matthieu Blazy at Chanel. (Sarah Burton at Givenchy has yet to present a couture collection.) Silvana responded with a small shrug, unfazed. After all, she spent 45 years working alongside her uncle — starting as a model, briefly as a receptionist (“I was terrible at that,” she admitted), and most significantly in the design studio, first at Emporio Armani, then the main line, and finally Armani Privé, which Giorgio Armani launched in 2005.
Asked whether her uncle would have changed anything in her debut Privé collection, which she conceived entirely on her own, she replied with a knowing smile: “No — but I’m sure he would add something.”
The show opened with masculine tailoring, a house signature. Palazzo pants in silk cady featured up to ten pleats on each side, while jackets were softened, sometimes stripped of lapels altogether, their edges shimmering with tubular glass beads. Models wore organza shirts, ties, and small round glasses, gazing out at the audience.
The same relaxed spirit carried through sparkling mesh sweaters — haute knitwear being one of couture week’s emerging themes — and midi-length tunics. Eveningwear was restrained in silhouette but rich in surface, with allover crystals and sensuous open backs. Jade’s link to Chinese culture appeared in the embroidery, with lanterns and bamboo fans as recurring motifs.
What the collection lacked in narrative risk or color range, it compensated for with wearability, clean construction, and a quiet, conservative allure that felt unmistakably Armani.
The final surprise came in the bridal look. Designed by Giorgio Armani for his fall 2025 couture show but left unworn because he chose to focus on black that season, the gown reappeared here with a veil — a graceful, personal gesture. Silvana Armani took her bow dressed in navy, composed and assured, very much in the spirit of her formidable uncle.
