This week in Milan, Giorgio Armani unveiled the second chapter of his Armani/Archivio project, reviving designs from 1979 to 1994. While the focus is on iconic jackets, the presentation offers a masterclass in heritage - a principle deeply woven into lingerie history. Armani, founded in 1975, built its reputation on unstructured elegance, a philosophy that quietly revolutionized the relationship between outerwear and the intimate layers beneath.
Lingerie houses have long understood the power of the archive. Brands like La Perla, founded in 1954, and Chantal Thomass, who launched her eponymous line in 1975, the same year as Armani, have consistently drawn from their own histories, reinterpreting vintage silhouettes for modern sensibilities. This act of preservation and re-release is not mere nostalgia; it is a strategic dialogue with a brand's foundational aesthetics.
Armani's campaign, styled by Eli Russell Linnetz to echo early brand imagery, mirrors how lingerie archives are used: to authenticate and evolve a house's identity. The selected garments, available for purchase, demonstrate that timeless design possesses inherent circularity. In lingerie, as in Armani's tailored pieces, the true luxury is a form that endures, proving that what is meticulously archived today becomes the coveted classic of tomorrow.
Originally reported by WWD