How Giorgio Armani Changed Menswear
Giorgio Armani - Vogue Fashion's Night Out Sept.10, 2009, MILANO. Photo by (Milan, Italy) via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0.
Giorgio Armani revolutionized menswear by softening the rigid tailoring of the mid-20th century and introducing the power suit, a design that balanced strength with comfort. His influence spread rapidly through Hollywood and became a global symbol of success and sophistication.
Beyond suits, Armani expanded into lifestyle lines that blurred the boundaries between formal and casual dressing, while his tuxedos and gowns set enduring standards on the red carpet.
Few names in modern fashion carry the same weight as Giorgio Armani. Synonymous with elegance, sophistication, and understated power, Armani transformed the way men dress in the latter half of the 20th century. His vision went beyond fabric and cut: authority without rigidity, confidence without ostentation, style without excess.
In the wake of his passing on September 4, 2025, it’s clearer than ever how profoundly he shaped menswear.
Early Life & Career Foundations
The history of Armani begins not on the runway, but in the small Italian city of Piacenza, where he was born in 1934. Growing up during the hardships of World War II, Armani was surrounded by a culture that prized resilience and demanded rule.
Interestingly, his first academic pursuit was not fashion but medicine. He enrolled at the University of Milan, but after three years and a period of service in the Italian Army – including work at a military hospital in Verona – he decided his future lay elsewhere. That early training, however, sharpened his eye for precision and anatomy, qualities that became hallmarks of his tailoring.
Armani’s entry into fashion began humbly as a window dresser and buyer at Milan’s famed department store La Rinascente. From there, he transitioned into design, eventually creating menswear for Nino Cerruti’s Hitman line in the 1960s. At Cerruti, Armani refined his understanding of fabrics and men’s tailoring, gaining a reputation for his clean, modern sensibility.
In 1975, together with his business partner Sergio Galeotti, he launched the Giorgio Armani label. From the very beginning, his vision was clear: to strip away the stiffness of traditional menswear and replace it with softer lines, natural movement, and quiet confidence.
This foundation – a blend of discipline and innovation – set the stage for the revolution that would come just a few years later: the creation of the Armani power suit.
Giorgio Armani in 1997. Photo by GianAngelo Pistoia, cropped from original, via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International.
The Birth of the Armani Power Suit
By the late 1970s, Armani’s philosophy of soft tailoring and relaxed lines had begun to crystallize. But it was the arrival of the Armani power suit in the early 1980s that truly revolutionized men’s fashion.
In an era defined by Wall Street ambition and Hollywood glamour, Armani introduced a new uniform for modern masculinity: the deconstructed suit. Gone were the rigid, heavily padded shoulders of traditional tailoring. In their place, Armani offered jackets with a softer silhouette, natural drape, and muted color palette – greys, taupes, and navies – that exuded understated authority.
This subtle shift was seismic. The Giorgio Armani menswear aesthetic redefined power dressing by balancing strength with ease, confidence with comfort. For men accustomed to stiff tailoring, the effect was liberating; the suit no longer felt like armor but like a second skin. Armani’s power suit became the essential attire of the 1980s businessman.
Hollywood & Pop Culture Influence
Hollywood quickly amplified the rise of Giorgio Armani menswear.
Nowhere was this more evident than in American Gigolo (1980), where Richard Gere’s wardrobe – designed entirely by Armani – became a fashion landmark. Those softly tailored jackets, open-neck shirts, and fluid trousers presented a new kind of masculinity: sleek, sensual, and undeniably modern. The film not only elevated Gere into stardom but also transformed Armani into a household name.
From there, Armani’s influence spread rapidly. His suits became a mainstay in cinema throughout the 1980s and 90s, appearing in films like The Untouchables and Goodfellas that portrayed power, ambition, and sophistication.
On television, too, the Armani power suit became a symbol of success. Music videos and magazine covers echoed the same aesthetic, further embedding Armani into the cultural zeitgeist.
The appeal was simple yet profound: Armani’s clothing was aspirational without being pretentious. For men around the world, donning an Armani suit suggested not only financial success but also social fluency. Few designers before or since have achieved such a seamless crossover from the runway to mainstream popular culture.
The Expansion of Giorgio Armani Menswear
By the mid-1980s, Armani’s vision had expanded far beyond the power suit. With a keen sense for both timing and cultural shifts, he began developing a complete lifestyle brand that reimagined how men approached dressing.
Armani diversified his offerings with the launch of Emporio Armani in 1981 - a younger, more affordable line that captured the energy of a new generation while retaining the sophistication of the parent label. This was followed by Armani Exchange in 1991, designed to reach an even wider audience and introduce casualwear that echoed the refinement of his tailoring. For the first time, men could experience the Giorgio Armani ethos - whether they were in a boardroom, a nightclub, or a café.
What made this expansion remarkable was Armani’s ability to blur the boundaries between formal and casual. He introduced unstructured jackets, sportswear-inspired separates, and even denim that carried the same elegance and comfort found in his suits.
The message was clear: men no longer had to reserve style for special occasions. Everyday dressing could embody the same principles of proportion, fabric, and restraint that defined Armani’s menswear revolution.
Giorgio Armani Shop, Baku Mall, Azerbaijan. Photo by Fanti Salms, cropped from original, via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International.
Armani & Women’s Fashion
While Giorgio Armani is most often remembered for reshaping menswear, his contributions to women’s fashion were equally groundbreaking. From the late 1970s, Armani introduced softly tailored suits, fluid trousers, and minimalist separates that gave women a new vocabulary of elegance and authority.
Armani also reimagined eveningwear. Rejecting the era’s ornate, heavily embellished gowns, he favored clean silhouettes, muted palettes, and luxurious fabrics – an approach that shifted attention from the decoration to the woman herself.
In 2006, he further challenged convention by banning underweight models from his runway shows, underscoring his belief that fashion should celebrate health, authenticity, and strength.
Armani on the Red Carpet
If the 1980s cemented Armani’s reputation in business and popular culture, the red carpet secured his place in fashion history. From Hollywood premieres to the Academy Awards, his tuxedos and gowns defined a new standard of elegance: sleek, restrained, and timeless.
The “Armani red carpet” aesthetic became the choice of actors, athletes, and world leaders alike. Richard Gere, Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and countless others relied on Armani to project sophistication without distraction. Politicians and dignitaries also embraced his formalwear, recognizing its unique ability to convey authority with quiet confidence.
Actress Elle Fanning at the Berlin Film Festival, 2020. Photo by Harald Krichel, cropped from original, via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
Lasting Legacy in Menswear
Ultimately, Armani’s impact transcends tailoring. His legacy is not only about garments, but about an attitude – one that gave men permission to be both powerful and relaxed, ambitious yet approachable.
Even his accessories reflected this philosophy: quiet silk ties, simple bow ties, and understated pocket squares that harmonized rather than dominated. The broader lesson remains timeless – the details matter.
For inspiration on carrying Armani’s spirit of elegance into your own wardrobe, explore our handcrafted bow ties, neckties, cummerbund sets, and pocket squares. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for timeless styling ideas – and don’t forget to tag us to share how you pair your Armani looks with #RHanauer.
Have questions? Visit our blog, The Gentleman’s Guide, or reach out directly. We’re here to help you look – and feel – your best.