Emporio Armani’s Circus-Inspired A/W´23 Show

Giorgio Armani tackled the circus wardrobe with his autumn/winter 2023 collection, a meditation on joy and irony. Anders Christian Madsen was there.

It was the circus of life

The Armani Teatro was transformed into a circus ring for the Emporio Armani show. Above it hovered a giant photograph of a model with a huge smile on her face. Giorgio Armani titled the collection The Circus of Life. “It is often thought that I am a touch severe, but there is a lot of playfulness in my fashion and I wanted to communicate that more clearly with this collection,” he said before the show. “I would like to convey a message of joy and irony.”

It was about irony

Armani is no escapist – far from. This time last year, he silenced the soundtrack of his show in honour of Ukraine, and on the day before the first anniversary of Putin’s war, the element of irony he was talking about felt decidedly pointed. As in life and any other industry that creates jobs, fashion and its biannual showcases must go on, but the circus of everyday life can feel a bit staggering when you consider what’s going elsewhere in the world.

It tackled the circus wardrobe

Armani portrayed his image of irony in a collection that loosely drew on the circus wardrobe: bowler hats, breeches, shorts, and riding boots, a petticoat structure worn as a bustier, and vaguely military-inspired jackets with asymmetrical buttoning and burnished metal buttons. Half-way through, the show turned postcard Parisian with berets and little lady jackets, corsage-adorned trouser suits and faux fur coats – another take on the irony of escapism.

It came with tiny bags and knee-high boots

The show was rich on accessories. Bowler hats, grosgrain braces and bustier belts cemented the ironic circus elements, while the tiny little bags Armani clustered together on his silhouettes made for a timely proposal for a younger clientele. In the similarly trendy department, thigh-high boots that emphasised the short hemlines of the collection showed a cheekier side to Armani.

Dress codes still matter

The irony of Armani’s circus theme made you think of the role of dress codes in the current social climate. “I have always been a firm believer in moderation, but in this collection, I had fun playing around and yes, even breaking a few rules,” Armani said. “I think codes can be more fluid nowadays, but it is also important to remember that a few rules can help us when dressing.”