Emporio Armani Is All Grown Up in Its Aviation-Themed FW23 Runway Show
The youth-centric label presents 101 looks comprising a mature array of flight-ready garments at Milan Fashion Week.
Italian fashion house Emporio Armani is first to present on the Armani roster this season, with its luxury division Giorgio Armani scheduled to show later this week at Milan Fashion Week. However, for its Fall/Winter 2023 show, it seems that the youth-centric Emporio Armani sub-label is all grown up.
Whereas Spring/Summer 2023 took attendees to a shoreside holiday vacation with a refined collection dubbed “A Basketful of Summer,” FW23 opted for aviation references, dinner jackets, formality and a splash of its refined streetwear undertones. The former collection was easy and breezy, with lightweight fabrics kept at the forefront of it all to deliver sleek yet laidback menswear to take you from the city to the beach in a flash. Bold tailoring and cropped button-downs received simplistic graphics for the summertime, while the lively range arrived in neutral tones for everyday wear.
However, Emporio Armani FW23 took a different path. While not as suited-and-booted as mainline Giorgio Armani, the label did present tailoring in abundance. With flight mode activated, models wearing leather hoods and pilot goggles walked down the runway in exquisitely tailored boiler suits — belted at the waist and accented with snap pockets for a look that nods to good old flying activities.
Likewise, puffed leather flight jackets with shearling collars paired fittingly with aviator sunglasses, while all-leather belted trench coats that cinched the waist further alluded to a Top Gun aesthetic. Harnesses running over and around a model strapped into cropped leather bomber jackets, cashmere sweaters in fuchsia sporting an airplane’s propeller on the front, complementing shirts printed with a female pilot on the chest, belts akin to those you wear on a plane, and double-breasted blazers with popper-strap square shoulders (reminiscent of military uniforms) all continued the mile high theme.
The story grew later on as formal dinner jackets and nighttime showcases unraveled on the runway. Sheer shirts, jackets with satin black lapels paired with neckerchief ties, and amethyst sequin blazers all conjured up thoughts of one arriving for dinner in style, of course flying private to get there.
Injecting a more youthful edge was a range of EA 7.0 outerwear, comprising puffer jackets and slick nylon-esque track jackets that came in a burnt orange hue, printed with vein structures all over them for a crinkled effect. However, it was the overarching formality that proved Emporio Armani can stand alongside its big brother when it comes to discerning designs.
Emporio Armani’s FW23 collection can be seen in the gallery above. Stay tuned to Hypebeast to find more Milan Fashion Week FW23 content over the coming days.
In case you missed it, check out Gucci FW23.
