The great and good of Hollywood attend Armani Priv�'s 'geisha chic' haute couture show in Paris.
BY Julia Robson | 05 July 2011
Photo: Getty
The world's number one fashion 'It' girl, the Duchess of Cambridge was on the opposite side of the Atlantic, so Italian maestro, Giorgio Armani, had to make do with Hollywood royalty. They came in the form of Katie Holmes (who wore an Armani couture dress to marry Tom Cruise in 2006) and Cate Blanchett, both sitting front row at his haute couture show in Paris rocking the Kate Middleton vibe.
Holmes, looking tanned but tiny, wore a simply tailored black Armani trouser suit with python wedge heels, and her now-long glossy brown hair down and slightly curled (now, who's does that remind you of?).
Nodding and smiling throughout the show, which was a homage to Japan, perhaps she was mentally choosing one of Armani's Geisha chic outfits for her next red carpet outing?
Paris Haute Couture: Armani Prive autumn/winter 2011 in pictures
If so, expect to see her and other A-listers adopting a hobble next Oscars. Armani, who dresses more celebrities than any other designer on the planet, created tight satin pencil skirts hand-painted with Ikebana and cherry blossom prints that caused models to shuffle down the black lacquered runway like Giesha's of old.
The 76-year-old workaholic designer had also incorporated elements of Japanese national dress, like the obi belt, into his Priv� couture autumn/winter 2011 collection.
Bodices that were set slightly apart from the body connected by sheer black net. Black satin skirts and neat lapel-less jackets were also sliced to reveal satin linings in pale Sakuro blossom pinks, similar to paintings you might find on Shoji screens in Kyoto tea rooms.
Paris Haute Couture autumn/winter 2011: What's in store at Paris Haute Couture?
The Japanese theme was the perfect vehicle to demonstrate the legendary designer's love of Zen-like minimalism and show off the intricate embroidery methods of his atelier's couture techniques, some of which actually resembled the texture of bamboo.
Despite being so literal, never once did any of the 44 outfits stray into Mikado panto-style. Not even the straw bow headdresses, which had taken milliner, Philip Treacy - he of the Princess Beatrice turkey twizzler hat fame - two months to make. Even though he'd snuck in a chopstick to the occasional creation.
Other show highlights included signature trousers, high waisted and slim-fitting, sometimes in black velvet, teamed with tuxedo jackets and kimono coats.
"I thought the choice of fabric and attention to detail was unbelievable," said Katie Holmes backstage post show. "The collection was of such a high standard," continued Holmes, swinging back her glossy hair. "He's an amazing artist."
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