Giorgio Armani, one of the biggest names in the history of fashion, died Thursday aged 91.
“With infinite sorrow, the Armani Group announces the passing of its creator, founder, and tireless driving force: Giorgio Armani,” the Italian fashion house said in a statement.
Although he tried to shy away from giving political opinions, Armani did on occasion give his thoughts on world events.
Here are some of his takes on politics and politicians down the years.
Ballsy Meloni and her little jacket
At Milan Fashion Week in 2024, Armani was asked to give his opinion on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and he seemed impressed by how tough she is.
“I believe that she has important elements in her figure. She has … ” and then he made the shape of two circles that indicated he thought she had (political) balls. “She doesn’t have them, but it’s as if she had them.”
“On the politics and strategies that her government puts in place, I am not so knowledgeable,” he added, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “It bothers me sometimes to see her so small and petite in Europe among so many statuesque and elegant gentlemen; she’s there in her little jacket, but she has a beautiful face.”
Meloni wore an Armani suit during a news conference after the first meeting of her Cabinet, The New York Times wrote, and also chose Armani for her first meeting with EU leaders in Brussels.
I wish Mario Draghi was my dad
In 2021, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Mario Draghi visited Paris in their first trip outside the country since Covid, and they met with Armani. He described Mattarella as “a very affable person. He understands that we’re giving it our all — I mean, the people who work in my industry — that we want to get back to what we were. We’ll make it.”
There was even more effusive praise for Draghi, the former head of the European Central Bank: “I like him a lot: I’ve always loved his detached attitude when needed, he gives a sense of security that is appreciated. I’d like to have him as a father.”
Draghi is 13 years Armani’s junior.
Berlusconi was a true leader
Following Silvio Berlusconi’s death in 2023, Armani described him on social media as “an undisputed leader, the architect of a profound change in the life, society and business of this country.”
The fashion icon said he had “always admired his flair as a leader, his ability to make people believe in him, and his innate business acumen.”
Armani added that it was “difficult to imagine Italian politics without him.”
However, in 2015, Armani told The Times: “I cannot stand Berlusconi. Everything he does I find very vulgar. The way he speaks. And his women!”
Down with nationalism
In March, Armani wrote an open letter published in La Repubblica in which he expressed concern about the “rising forces of division” in Europe.
“In today’s fragile geopolitical landscape, the true strength of the European Union lies in cooperation, mutual support and unity. Acting as one does not erase the identity of individual nations; on the contrary, it reinforces them,” he wrote.
“Without Europe, we are diminished, vulnerable, exposed to the ambitions of those who believe only in the power of conquest. We must not allow ourselves to fracture, we must stand together and uphold the principles of democracy,” he wrote.
He signed the letter: “Giorgio Armani, committed European, committed pacifist.”
Dressing Melania Trump
Asked in 2017 if he would dress Melania Trump, Armani said, “That’s my job; why shouldn’t I dress a beautiful woman if she asks me to? This goes beyond politics.”
Asked about her husband Donald, at that point the U.S. president-elect, Armani said he has “improved physically, he is slimmer, his tuft of hair is less big and it’s less cob-like. Also, the way he addresses things is less over the top, more discreet.”
This may well have been the only time that Trump has ever been described as “discreet.”
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