Other-Era Elegance, Cinematic Style, and Soft Shades: Everything to Know About Giorgio Armani's New York Show

Ever since it was announced that Giorgio Armani would be presenting its spring/summer 2025 runway show in New York instead of its regular location at the Armani Teatro in Milan, the fashion community has been buzzing. The collection arrived last night on the Upper East Side in New York as 690 guests dressed in black-tie attire poured into the Park Avenue Armory to a space designed to re-create a 1930s-era Grand Central Station. The location was intentional, as it is just a few blocks away from the just-opened Giorgio Armani Residences and a new restaurant, as well as the Giorgio Armani flagship boutique. The show also arrived on the occasion of the brand’s 50th anniversary and just months after Mr. Armani celebrated his 90th birthday.

Guests began the evening in a jazz bar created for one night only. A video of a train pulling into a station was projected onto the walls before guests took their seats for the runway show in the next room, where they found seating with embroidered cushions along curved booths set next to cocktail tables. The collection opened with a model dressed in a khaki jacket and trousers styled with a knit cap, oversize sunglasses, and riding boots, as well as a porter carrying her suitcases, emphasizing the elegance of a bygone era. It also felt cinematic in both the production and the looks that showed on the runway, which speaks to Mr. Armani’s inspiration for the show, which drew from the nostalgia and fashion of old cinema. Ahead, more on the spring/summer 2025 Giorgio Armani show—from the celebrity-packed front row to the biggest runway moments.

A Return to New York

Giorgio Armani unveiled the Giorgio Armani women’s spring/summer 2025 collection in New York, a long-awaited return to the city after his last showing in 2013. The night was also to celebrate the opening of the newly redesigned Madison Avenue building. Drawing inspiration from 1930s and 1940s architecture, this elegant space features ten residences that have already sold, along with a new restaurant. The fashion show was held at the Park Avenue Armory, a historic 19th-century venue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and was followed by an after-party featuring live performances by Chaka Khan and James Blake.

A Cinematic World With Other-Era Elegance and Soft Pastels

New York was more than a setting for the show. It was also a point of departure for Mr. Armani when designing the spring/summer 2025 collection, inspiring him to draw inspiration from cinematic moments he has experienced in the city. “Giorgio Armani pays homage to the city that embodies the collective dream—backdrop to countless cinematic stories and life-changing encounters—with a profoundly Armani collection,” the show notes explain. The opening of the show itself made this clear and felt like a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock film as a model cascaded down the runway with a luggage-toting porter behind her.

The looks that followed also felt part of this cinematic world. We saw draped pantaloons and soft silhouettes in shades of pastel reminiscent of the 1930s, silk pantsuits styled with tasseled belts and headscarves, and shimmering gowns encrusted with thousands of beads. One model in the show even carried a fluffy dog under her arm, imploring guests to imagine her story and the character she was playing.

Mr. Armani

Mr. Armani joined the runway at the end of the show, on an occasion that marked the 50th anniversary of his namesake brand. The collection also falls just months after his 90th birthday, yet the prolific designer doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. “Work is the best medicine,” Mr. Armani shared with Wall Street Journal in between fittings for the collection.

Celebrity Attendees

The star-studded guest lineup included A-listers such as Pamela Anderson, Brooke Shields, Gemma Chan, Brie Larson, and Amanda Seyfried. Celebs (mostly) adhered to the black tie dress code on invitation, wearing head-to-toe Armani including special pieces that were brought out from the archives.