Fashion Report From HongKong: I spy a cool collection

At the launch of Emporio Armani’s fall/winter 2011 collection in Hong Kong, they were keeping the details very hush-hush. Would there be a fashion show? Would Mr. Armani himself be there?

No details were forthcoming, just that we should show up at the Four Seasons Hotel at a certain time.

We soon found out the reason for all the secrecy. A serious film buff, designer Giorgio Armani used spies and film-noir heroines as the inspirations behind Emporio Armani (EA) FW11, and the result is a women’s collection that lovers of black will adore — fashion and accessories that are dark, enigmatic, and undeniably cool.

In a carbon-colored top-floor suite designed to resemble a noir film set, the latest collections of both Giorgio Armani and Emporio Armani were presented side-by-side. Models clad in the collections’ key looks wandered about, ready for their next photo op.

Spy vs. spy: Highlights of the season include the jumpsuit, tapered and cropped pants, and the little black dress with separate balloon sleeves. Brightly colored accessories like fur wraps and bags provide welcome contrast. In the Philippines, the Emporio Armani boutique is located in Greenbelt 4.

If Giorgio Armani fall/winter 2011 is all about a woman’s boudoir and the dreamy privacy hidden within, Emporio Armani is all about the glamour of international espionage.

“The entire collection is about spy women,” said Christy Ng, Giorgio Armani’s assistant public relations manager for Asia Pacific, who took me through both collections. “Mr. Armani loves black, so the whole collection of women’s is black, mysterious, spy-ish.”

A key piece is the jumpsuit, traditionally a spy essential. Armani covers his with sequins so you can imagine the glamorous flash it makes as the femme fatale wearing it turns the corner.

Fashion-wise, pants are the season’s highlight. EA’s version is a godsend for women with big thighs — the wide legs and cropped length skim the body in a sexy, feminine way.

Long coats and sculpted jackets feature raw-edge finishes and concealed or covered buttons, continuing the theme of mystery.

Since the entire collection is in black, a number of fur wraps and bags in vibrant blue, purple and green add some welcome color, contrast, and texture. “Another highlight is our Mongolian lamb fur — it’s very soft,” Christy says.

The spy gear — a.k.a. accessories — is no less clever. I instantly fell in love with the spy bag, a roomy black-croc beauty that opens up at the bottom to reveal a secret compartment — “very James Bond,” Ng says — the better for you to store your gadgets and tools, beauty or otherwise.

Another striking pick is the bucket bag in leopard and shagreen. “It’s very handy — you can carry a lot of stuff in it,” Christy says.

To aid in the process of concealment, caps with visors can be pulled low over wraparound shades. Leather gloves are attached to balloon sleeves to mix up the long, fluid silhouette, while a velvet scarf looks like it could be pulled over the face as a mask. On the runway the model wore it like a bikini top that covered her chest.

And where would a spy be without the necessary footwear? Though there are a couple of flat, utilitarian styles, Emporio’s shoes are designed more for clandestine rendezvous than street-level investigation. Ankle boots can be worn with separate chaps for additional leg cover, while for the sandals, the same Moroccan influence that runs through the luxurious Giorgio Armani collection is seen in Emporio’s shoes, albeit simplified and with an Egyptian twist, evidenced by the pyramid-structure heels lacquered in gold.

“It’s beauty concealed behind the dark glasses and the hat,” emphasizes Christy.

If Giorgio Armani’s men’s collection is sophisticated and classic, Emporio Armani for men is more trendy and playful. For instance, necklines aren’t the usual straightforward affair. EA’s collars are asymmetric, angled, and can be stood up with a flap you can fasten against the cold. One features zippers on both sides that you can zip to the middle so it looks very fashionable.

Colors like camel soften the predominantly gray and black palette, and in the lightweight coats you can see Armani’s preoccupation with creating innovative fabrics that lift his designs above the rest. Like a long jacket made of boiled wool and alpaca that’s soft and warm to the touch but so high-tech it’s extremely thin and light. “We experiment with a lot of different fabrics to create different styles,” Christy says.

Since the inspiration is industrial, the men’s silhouette is deconstructed and there are a number of leather pants in the collection, also tapered and cropped as in the women’s collection.

I ask when EA FW 2011 will be available in the Philippines and Ng says that since our Emporio Armani store opens this week in Greenbelt 4, they’ll probably offer spring/summer 2011 first.

“The Philippines has its own buyer (from Stores Specialists, Inc.), who goes to Milan every season to buy the collection.”

Armani has a strict policy about not discussing sales — quotes about that have to come directly from Mr. Armani himself — but you can surmise how well the brand’s doing by its strong presence and expansion in the region, particularly in Hong Kong, which has one Giorgio Armani store and five for Emporio. Hong Kong’s Chater House building alone is a temple to all things Armani: several of the Italian fashion empire’s labels are housed there, including Armani Fiori (flowers), Armani Dolci (chocolates), Armani Cosmetics and Armani Junior, and it’s all still privately owned.

In the end the only appearance Mr. Armani made in Hong Kong was on one of his gowns, which bears a printed photo of the designer in his younger days — so movie-star handsome one HK Armani peep said she thought it was George Clooney. But by then, I was too entrapped in the elegant web of Armani’s world to mind.

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In the Philippines, Emporio Armani is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., and the boutique is set to open this week at Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati.