Legendary Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani died at his home on Thursday, at the age of 91.
Since launching his eponymous fashion brand in Milan in 1975, Giorgio Armani has become a figurehead for well-cut, timeless Italian tailoring.
“With infinite sorrow, the Armani Group announces the passing of its creator, founder, and tireless driving force: Giorgio Armani," the Armani Group said in a statement on Thursday. “Il Signor Armani, as he was always respectfully and admiringly called by employees and collaborators, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones. Indefatigable to the end, he worked until his final days, dedicating himself to the company, the collections, and the many ongoing and future projects.”
"A funeral chamber will be set up from Saturday, September 6th to Sunday, September 7th, and will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., in Milan, at Via Bergognone 59, inside the Armani/Teatro. In accordance with Mr. Armani’s explicit wishes, the funeral will be held privately."
As is to be expected of someone with such influential style, Armani's reach extended far beyond the sartorial, and in 2000 he opened Armani Casa, the brand's first homeware store in Milan. The offering comprises accessories, ceramics, candles and textiles, all of which bears the same glamour and sophistication which characterise Armani clothing.
Given his status as an aesthete, it comes as little surprise that Giorgio had a passion for architecture and design. He owned several houses across the world – from the scenic landscapes of Switzerland, and the undulating hills in Tuscany to the sandy beaches in Antigua, his property portfolio is proof of the fact that if you have good style, it can successfully be applied to any creative endeavour. The design of his houses is a distillation of this style, which though each referencing their individual locales, are unmistakably Armani. Geometry, materiality, asian motifs and 20th-century furniture at often the forefront of the spaces, arranged in different ways and with varying intensities to produce a distinct identity. ‘I have several homes now all over the world. Each one is very different, but the common denominator among them is that they all reflect my personality and the surrounding natural landscapes,’ he told Luxuo magazine in 2022. We take a close look at the late designer's favourite homes:
Pantelleria, Strait of Sicily
Continuing his love affair with Italy, Armani's house on the remote island of Pantelleria, south of Sicily, is made up of two separate buildings constructed from volcanic rock, called dammusi (a word which refers to the traditional style of the island, which incorporates local stone and white, domed roofs to keep the interiors cool). When the designer first came across them in the 1980s, the houses were abandoned, and provided not just an opportunity to create a practically off-grid escape, but a dramatic landscape from which to glean inspiration. Originally featured in House & Garden's February 1993 issue, the house is surrounded by palm trees, cacti and Cycads add bursts of green to the otherwise dust and stone-heavy garden. Giorgio worked with architect Gabriella Giuntoli on the redesign. In keeping with the house's striking exterior, the spaces inside incorporate masses of local stone, which is softened and illuminated by pools of light and furniture chosen from the Armani Casa collection. ‘Pantelleria is my summer refuge. I live outdoors when I’m there. It’s the only place where I truly feel I can “switch off” and escape from the stress and wear and tear of working life,’ he told Luxuo magazine.
Saint Moritz, Switzerland
Charmingly named Chesa Orso Bianco, or Polar Bear House, this traditional chalet in Switzerland is not far from one of the country's most popular ski towns, and as such the cold temperatures of the region have influenced the local architecture. From the outside, Armani's chalet with its typically small windows and Sgraffito exterior walls, is just like any other in the small hamlet of La Punt. Inside, however, is a different story. Described in an article in Architectural Digest as having ‘the formal grace of a Japanese ryokan, only darker in tone and significantly more luxurious’ the house is a serene and richly layered sanctuary, with walls clad in polished mahogany and opulent fabrics layered throughout. Bursts of colour come curtesy of Armani's own team of designers, who furnished spaces with a melange of Armani Casa pieces, including sofas and armchairs upholstered in richly coloured suedes and velvets. Demonstrating the intrinsic link between Armani's clothing designs and his taste in interiors, the concept for this house followed shortly after the release of two collections which reference traditional kimono motifs and mother-of-pearl.
Saint Tropez, France
Offering sunnier climates and the opportunity to swap snow skis for water skis, Armani's Saint Tropez house is his among his preferred spots for a summer getaway: ‘I go four or five weekends in late June and July,’ he told JJ Martin in 2016. Much like the alpine-style house some 800 kilometres north, Armani's Saint Tropez bolthole is in keeping with its coastal setting. Pale green shutters stand out against white stucco walls, with a pitched roof of terracotta slate on top. Though decked out with the same polished dark wood on many of the walls, floors and ceiling, this house has a distinctly more rustic feel than several of his other houses. It is, for Armani, something of an escape: a place to host friends and briefly indulge in the pleasures of a quieter life. Natural materials and vintage furniture and textiles rub shoulders with pieces of Armani's own design and contemporary artwork. Outside, cypress trees create pools of shelter in the garden, which also plays host to a guest cottage, built during a renovation in 2009.
Forte dei Marmi, Tuscany
Though better known for its undulating hills than its beaches, Tuscany’s coastline plays host to a number of delightful seaside towns with enough style and character to rival their southern counterparts. This was not lost on Armani, who bought a villa in the ultra-chic town Forte de Marmi in the early 1980s. A renovation quickly followed the purchase and saw elements of the property revitalised using a classic Armani palette. Negative space and a distinct lack of art stands out here, but far from clinical or cold, the rooms are imbued with a sense of warmth, thanks in part to Armani’s preferred use of dark wood on the walls and floor, and in part to a careful curation of early 20th-century furniture. He is particularly drawn to the Art Deco period of the 1920s, and cites designers Jean-Michel Frank and Pierre Chareau as two of his favourites. His love of Japanese design is manifested in the tatami-style natural matting on the floors throughout.
Milan
Though Armani had managed the design of some of his properties himself, he turned to the architect Peter Marino to help him realise his Palazzo in Milan. The apartment is a visual ode to the strength of 20th-century European design, and occupies three floors of a 400-year old palazzo in Milan’s Breda district. Juxtaposing the building’s historic bones, the interiors demonstrate the best of modernist design. Peter Marino chanelled the earlier French architect Jean Michel Frank, whose own Paris apartment provided a starting point for the design. He curated an austere yet tactile space. Walls throughout are battened in parchment or hand-veneered oak, with pieces in leather, silk, straw and wood making up the majority of the furniture and upholstery. Accentuating the high ceilings, all of the furniture has been kept low and lateral, with the space above, though empty, playing an integral role in the feel of each room. Over time these spaces evolved and softened, with Armani introducing coloured silk cushions and personal photographs where unadorned sofas and blank walls had previously stood. In short, the apartment is a masterclass in combining eras and styles: it incorporates and celebrates the best of the past, while layering on more contemporary elements with a soft, timeless touch.
Antigua
Giorgio reconfigured what was once two separate clifftop villas into one large complex, joined by a central sitting room and with pavilions on either side playing host to a wealth of guest bedrooms. The villas represent the best of the Caribbean vernacular: white walls and pitched roofs poke out from the lush planting which surrounds the house, with the glassless windows being just one way that the inside spaces feel inextricably linked to vistas beyond them. The pavilions cascade down the side of the cliff, into which terraces and pathways have been built, leading down the the clear blue waters of the lagoon below. In an effort to celebrate the landscape rather than fight with it, the interiors have been kept pleasingly pared-back: soft fabrics in muted colours populate each of the rooms, with subtle depth arriving in the form of wooden ceiling beams.
