It’s one of the most widely circulated, seminal old-school BTS photos shared on social media: that image of Robert De Niro, Giorgio Armani and Martin Scorsese, three titans in their respective industries, on the set of Scorsese’s 1995 classic Casino. That film, above all else, is widely revered for the fits—particularly the impeccable tailoring and brazenly flashy suits worn by De Niro’s Ace Rothstein. Together, Scorsese and Armani created one of the all-time memorable film wardrobes.
But real Scorsese and/or Armani heads know that Casino wasn’t their first or even their most significant collaboration. Five years prior, a few months before Scorsese dropped his magnum opus Goodfellas in the fall, he delivered Made in Milan, a half-hour short centered on his fellow Italian legend Giorgio. (It was also Scorsese’s first documentary—and first short—in 12 years.) You can watch the film in all of its 26-minute glory on YouTube right now, which is one way to honor the great Armani on the occasion of his passing today. (In a statement, the Armani Group said Giorgio, 91, died “peacefully and surrounded by loved ones.”)
Made in Milan is a mesmerizing experience. Parts of the film are dedicated to an Armani fashion show, which is compelling in its own right. But the real draw is the almost voyeuristic approach Scorsese brings to Armani’s obsessive process; you could easily listen to him wax poetic about fabrics in rapid-fire Italian for another 30 minutes. As promised in the title, there’s also a lot of attention paid to Armani’s Milanese roots, buoyed by wonderful location footage. Scorsese guides us through Armani’s lavish house, an Architectural Digest dream, in quietly haunting tracking shots, capturing the luxury setting but also its eerie stillness. There’s also a scene of the boss himself looking almost Henry Hill-esque as the center of attention at a lively dinner party. And of course, there’s the best shot in the movie, which is also the YouTube thumbnail: The moment when the camera pans around to reveal Marty sitting with Giorgio, wearing full Armani head to toe—and an “I know I got that shit on” expression.
Scorsese and Armani’s last collaboration was recent, and via—of all unexpected bridgeways— Ronnie Fieg’s Kith, with Scorsese modeling the unprecedented Armani-Kith collaboration in 2024. But Made in Milan represents the apex of their creative synergy: one GOAT paying homage to another the only way he knows how.