With Demi Moore front row, the latest Armani Privé collection was Oscars red carpet ready

Demi Moore was front row at Armani on Tuesday evening wearing Goth-glamour black sequins and she was there with a purpose. The Substance actress’ Academy Award campaign is so full-on that she won at the Golden Globes dressed, essentially, as an Oscars statuette. Her sweeping gold gown on that occasion was by Armani Privé – the Italian label’s made-to-measure line. During Paris Couture, she was back for seconds.

Moore came to the right place. Giorgio Armani has dressed more Oscar winners, male and female, than any other designer. He was also the first to bridge the gap between high style and Hollywood – making the red carpet as much of a fashion show as any Paris runway.

The dresses in the most recent catwalk collection certainly have some film-star drama. A successful Oscars gown needs a strong shape to stand out among all the frou-frou and there were draped, figure-enhancing gowns in lilac and bright blue that would draw all eyes. Moore need look no further.

But for Armani himself, as he said before the show, “it’s not about creating clothes for beautiful photos”. Rather, he wants to design real clothes for real women albeit, as he admits, women “of undeniable privilege”. It’s not everyone who could spend up to £500,000 on an outfit.

For those that can though, Armani Privé, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, has a lot to offer. He displayed the collection in the brand’s grand new Paris headquarters – a 19th-century white-and-gilt mansion off Avenue Montaigne, now renamed Palazzo Armani.

Here, free from the constraints of ready-to-wear profit margins, Armani has let rip, experimenting with corsetry, Japanese-inspired prints, plunging necklines and swathes of sparkle and crystals. Armani again: this collection is “freer and more glittering” than he usually allows himself to be. But if you’re 90, a billionaire, and have only yourself and your clients to please – why not?

Some things remain constant, though. Armani prefers a flat, comfortable heel, a sleek, narrow silhouette, and a colour palette that majors on grey, sand and pale pink. He also knows, unlike so many couture designers who really only do Kardashian-worthy eveningwear, that his clients wear clothes during the day as well. So he makes sure to throw in the odd sporty pair of trousers and even a jacket you can shrug on.

There’s plenty for flashbulb fodder here. There’s also a lot of quiet elegance.

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