{"id":5147,"date":"2025-09-07T06:07:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T06:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/5147\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T06:07:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T06:07:13","slug":"mourners-pay-last-respects-to-italian-fashion-designer-giorgio-armani","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/5147\/","title":{"rendered":"Mourners pay last respects to Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani"},"content":{"rendered":"

The designer was remembered by Milan’s mayor as a “man of extraordinary elegance” who left an indelible mark on the city and the global fashion world.<\/p>\n

Armani died on Thursday aged 91 at his home in central Milan surrounded by loved ones.<\/p>\n

\"Giorgio<\/p>\n

Giorgio Armani during Paris Fashion Week 2019. (Photo: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis\/Corbis via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

His fashion house said he worked right up to the end. One of his final projects was a runway show marking 50 years of his signature Giorgio Armani brand, which is due to close Milan Fashion Week later this month.<\/p>\n

Mourners filed into the Armani Theatre, where Armani regularly showed his ready-to-wear runway collections.<\/p>\n

Rows of candles in paper bags cast a shimmering light and piano music by Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi played softly in the background. The closed coffin was adorned with a bouquet of long-stem white roses, and flanked by carabinieri honour guards in ceremonial dress.<\/p>\n

Mourners included Donatella Versace, who wore a dark skirt suit and carried a bouquet of white flowers, which she left in tribute. She left without making any remarks.<\/p>\n

A sculpture featuring a crucifix on a raw block of marble stood nearby, brought from Armani’s bedside.<\/p>\n

\"Armani<\/p>\n

Armani died on Thursday (AP)<\/p>\n

Armani, who was deeply private, was not known to be a practicing Catholic, but a priest who emerged from his central Milan home after his death told reporters that he attended Mass daily.<\/p>\n

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala was among the first to arrive, offering condolences to Leo Dell’Orco, Armani’s longtime collaborator and the head of menswear, who stood near the coffin.<\/p>\n

“A man of extraordinary elegance,” Mr Sala told reporters outside. “Milan is full of signs of Armani. It will be impossible to forget him.”<\/p>\n

Mr Sala remembered a phone call from Armani in early August, when news of a corruption scandal in the city broke.<\/p>\n

\"Valeria<\/p>\n

Valeria Mazza also paid her respects (AP)<\/p>\n

“He said: ‘I understand this is a difficult moment. There is always something positive in difficult moments. True friends show themselves. I am your true friend.’ This I will always remember,” Mr Sala said.<\/p>\n

Annamaria Longo Dorni travelled more than two hours from Lago Maggiore, north of Milan, to pay her last respects wearing an Armani midnight blue jacket for the occasion.<\/p>\n

“You put it on, and you’re perfect,” she said in tribute. “It’s always up to date, even after 20 years.”<\/p>\n

Two hours after the doors opened, the line of mourners stretched down the block.<\/p>\n

\"Italian<\/p>\n

Italian film director Giuseppe Tornatore, left, is hugged as he arrives to pay his respects (AP)<\/p>\n

The public viewing will continue through until Sunday. Armani will be buried following a private funeral, details of which remain private.<\/p>\n

Armani, one of the most recognizable names and faces in the global fashion industry, missed Milan Fashion Week in June 2025 for the first time during the previews of Spring-Summer 2026 menswear to recover from an undisclosed condition.<\/p>\n

\"Giorgio<\/p>\n

Giorgio Armani in 2003. Photo: PA<\/p>\n

Condolences have poured in from friends and admirers around the world, including Ralph Lauren, Julia Roberts, Anna Wintour and Leonardo DiCaprio.<\/p>\n

Armani prepared a final farewell for mourners. A photo of the designer smiling and waving was projected on the back wall of the viewing chamber with the parting words: “The mark I hope to leave is one of commitment, respect and genuine care for people and for reality. That’s where everything truly begins.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The designer was remembered by Milan’s mayor as a “man of extraordinary elegance” who left an indelible mark…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5148,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[93,61,60,102],"class_list":["post-5147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-italy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5147\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}