Armani Prive honours late founder in first haute couture show since his death

Giorgio Armani’s spring/summer 2026 haute couture show in Paris marked a defining moment for the house.

It was the first Armani Prive collection presented following the designer’s death in September last year.

Armani, who died aged 91, personally oversaw his final ready-to-wear collection before it was presented at Milan Fashion Week in September 2025.

Since then, the brand has entered a new chapter.

This season’s couture was created under post-founder direction by Silvana Armani, yet the founder’s presence felt anything but absent.

His influence hovered over every look.

Though Armani was not physically present at his final Prive show in July, and did not creatively manage this collection, the house’s codes remained unmistakable – written into every line, fabric and silhouette.

The palette felt familiar yet refreshed. Accents of mint (as seen in Matthieu Blazy’s collection for Chanel) cut through a nocturnal sea of sparkle and satin, while blush tones mingled with cream and oyster. Silhouettes were lean and gently severe, like ink strokes gliding across the body.

Armani’s signature reworking of masculine tailoring for women returned with renewed clarity. Evening suits swapped signature cigarette pants for high-waisted, wide-leg trousers paired with sculptural, asymmetrical tops.

Though the label is often hailed for its restraint, this collection allowed theatricality to shimmer through.

Sequins rippled across gowns, wave-like appliqués caught the light and crystal studding created what felt like a “quiet riot” of surface detail. It challenged the notion of Armani as a minimalist, “quiet luxury” brand.

From satiny, liquid draped gowns to embroidered nets layered over ethereal pantsuits and sinuous sequined designs cut daringly across the body, the show became a celebration of sparkle, shine and glamour – a true homage to the radiant flair of the late Armani.

As for the Armani bride, she arrived not in froth or fantasy, but with striking authority. She wore a high-necked, long-sleeved ivory gown that fell in a clean, uninterrupted line to the floor, its surface softly shimmering with delicate embroidery.

A sheer veil cascaded from the crown of her head, extending into a gentle train that seemed to dissolve into air. There was no corsetry or exposed skin, just precision, purity and poise.

In the context of the collection, it felt like a perfect distillation of Armani’s philosophy.

The elegance lay in the discipline of the design. Confident yet composed, she closed the show as a reminder that Armani’s vision of femininity has always been about control, clarity and self-possession.

It was too soon for this show to have been about  reinvention, instead, it was about continuity. Armani Prive’s future, it suggested, lies in honouring a legacy built on discipline, precision and enduring style – a world Giorgio Armani shaped with such conviction that it still feels new today.