Armani urges political action to preserve fashion

MILAN  Milan and Rome are Italy's yin and yang: fashion capital, political capital, their fates entwined.

This week, while Milan revels in what it does best, showing off its Made in Italy ready-to-wear fashion to the world, Rome is mesmerized by the rapid rise of Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi who confirmed Friday that he has formed a new government.

Though one capital is viewed as productive and the other as entrenched, Italy's fashion world is mindful that whatever is decided in Rome is crucial to the industry's global competitiveness. Giorgio Armani says he expects "real attention" from the new government -- action not talk. On the policy front, he would like to see politicians bring down the cost of labor in the name of preserving the Italian know-how.

"If China can make plastic jewelry for 30 euros, why do we have to pay 150 euros in Italy," Armani asked during a chat with reporters after his Emporio Armani preview show. Emporio Armani joins Blumarine, Etro and Versace in showing their wears Friday, the third day of Milan Fashion Week.

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 MILAN Giorgio Armani sees the irony.

leather leggings and he fits them in wide-legged trousers that evoke ankle-length skirts. The designer, who turns 80 in June, is not at all bothered by "this divergence," as he calls it backstage after his fall/winter womenswear preview Friday, the third day of Milan Fashion Week.

The wide pants are an evolutionary twist on the long skirt, which Armani said younger women today don't want "because it is part of another world, a bygone world." His pants, a silhouette evolution, stop at the ankle and have youthful touches like a playful buckle near the hemline. The trousers, which also come in Bermuda length, are worn with heavy soled shoes and daintier pumps with bows alike, and paired with blousons or masculine jackets.