On Thursday, the fashion industry lost one of its crown jewels. Italian designer Giorgio Armani passed away at the age of 91, leaving behind an unparalleled legacy that is immortalised both in the fashion history books and film.
The designer’s mark on the style sphere was indelible – so much so that it stretched into the realm of cinema. Jodie Foster, Renee Zellweger and Diane Keaton scooped up illustrious Academy Awards wearing his designs, while fellow decorated thespians, including Sharon Stone, Gwyneth Paltrow, Juliette Binoche and Angelina Jolie, hit the red carpet with his name stitched into the labels of their clothing.
Beyond his celebrity cachet, Armani redefined costume design. His deliciously tailored suits, introduced to the American market by WWD editor John Fairchild, found mainstream fame in Paul Schrader’s 1980 film American Gigolo, where they became inseparable from Richard Gere’s screen presence.
This also cemented Armani’s reputation as the designer who could translate high fashion into cinematic language. Gere’s character, Julian Kaye, became inseparable from his wardrobe: a rotation of softly tailored suits, muted colour palettes and fluid silhouettes that embodied a new kind of masculine sensuality which took flight in the 1980s. By stripping away the stiffness of traditional suiting, Armani offered a vision of men’s fashion that was elegant yet approachable – an aesthetic that revolutionised both Hollywood costuming and contemporary wardrobes.
In the decades that followed, his costumes for films such as Goodfellas and The Untouchables reinforced his legacy. Mary Harron’s American Psycho from 2000 being a fan favourite. Christian Bale’s meticulously manicured and hyper-materialist character, Patrick Bateman, wore Armani, paying testament to the designer’s unmatched craftsmanship. After all, this was the man who flew into a murderous rage over the shade of a business card – detail meant everything.
© American Psycho
© The Dark KnightBale and Armani proved to be a match made in heaven, with the Hollywood veteran once again slipping into the visionary’s tailoring years later to play fictional billionaire Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan’s 2008 blockbuster The Dark Knight.
This blueprint carried into the 2010s, with Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street reigniting demand for Armani’s genius. Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort opted for Armani suits – offering crisp lines, immaculate cuts and unrivalled quality. Hollywood decided that the most debonair men wore Armani – securing its status as the label of choice for those with the pick of the crop.
© The Wolf of Wall Street
© Getty ImagesDespite his suits being worn by characters who represented the hyper-masculinity of the 1980s, Armani ensured this reputation never latched onto his legacy. His sexed-up, suave designs catered to the leading ladies of the time, with stars spanning Michelle Pfeiffer to Julia Roberts donning his power suits and sleek, contemporary gowns for various red carpet events.
© WireImageNo matter how much time passes, his work remains infallible. Back in January, Demi Moore wore a fluid gold Armani gown for the 2025 Golden Globes, where she won Best Performance by a Female Actor for her role in The Substance. Kerry Washington, Michelle Yeoh, Anna Sawai, Jane Fonda, and Kristen Bell are just a handful of famous faces who also wore Armani this past year.
Quiet, polished and timeless, Armani’s work proved that minimalism could be cinematic. In an era of fleeting microtrends and excess, his legacy stands as a reminder that true impact lies in restraint – a philosophy immortalised on screen and beyond.
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