Armani charts its future as Bottega Veneta sheds layers in Milan

MILAN (AP) — The future of Giorgio Armani ’s empire is coming into sharper focus a year after the designer’s death. On the runway in Milan, his signature elegance defined the latest collection previewed on Sunday, while behind the scenes talks are set to begin on the sale of a stake, as stipulated in his will.

Armani gave preference to LVMH, L’Oréal and EssilorLuxottica as potential buyers of a 15% stake to be sold within 18 months of his death on Sept. 4, 2025, at the age of 91.

Chief Executive Giuseppe Marsocci told reporters backstage at the runway show that there were no favorites and that the stake could potentially be split among all three companies.

“It is not written in stone that there has to be one,” he said.

Marsocci said the will allowed discussions to begin only after the first anniversary of Armani’s death but declined to confirm whether they had started. “The assumption” that talks were underway “may have some logic,” he said.

The recent appointment of Dario Vitale as head of accessories at Giorgio Armani and creative director of Emporio Armani has generated interest in the fashion house’s creative future. His runway debut hasn’t yet been confirmed.

Asked whether Vitale’s role could expand, Marsocci said everything was evolving. “From here into the future, you never know,” he said.

The womenswear collection for next spring and summer deliberately mixed daywear with evening looks, with sparkle running through both. Lean, fluid trousers and long dresses shaped the silhouette, often paired with rigid bodices. Silver and gold accents were applied generously, and for youthful dressers there were interpretations of hoodies worn with Bermuda shorts. The collection was titled “Evolution.”

“It evolved in the sense that it is fashion that everyone can wear,” said Silvana Armani, the late designer’s niece and longtime head of womenswear.

She departed from her uncle’s legacy in one important way: incorporating cotton, a textile that she said he didn’t like but which she “adores.”

The designer’s presence was felt most concretely in the collection in two pieces: a recreation of the formal double-breasted Communion suit that Armani wore when he was 8 years old and a graphic jacket bearing his image.

Bottega lightens up

Louise Trotter’s third collection for Bottega Veneta brought the amplified proportions of her first two outings down to size, lightening both silhouette and materials.

After extending the sculptural volumes of Matthieu Blazy’s era in her first two collections, Trotter moved closer to the controlled ease associated with Tomas Maier — without surrendering the visual exuberance of contemporary Bottega.

She transferred some of the drama to oversized raffia intrecciato bags that resembled huge natural-fiber shields, some completely encircled by fringe

For the garments, Trotter streamlined the silhouettes using natural materials and the lightest leather she could find. As the collection moved from spring to summer, the British designer said she wanted to evoke southern Europe’s changing seasons through a sense of “disrobing” and “optimism, which I think we feel as we move to summer.”

One standout floral dress was constructed from long loops of uncut fringe, its printed image breaking apart and recomposing with every step like a flickering flip book. Intrecciato skirts featured feather inserts, a slip dress was covered in three-dimensional leather flowers and peplum-hemmed knit tops were densely embroidered in multiple colors.

The trick with Trotter was that there is so much going on in the looks that is hard to pin down what techniques are being employed, offering a rich visual experience.

“I really wanted to express craft, which is our language, it’s our logo, but I wanted to do it with the lightest of hand possible,’’ she said backstage after Saturday evening’s show.

Front-row guests included Julianne Moore and Travis Scott, while Kendall Jenner — an aunt of Scott’s children — closed the show.