When thinking about how fashion has contributed to the debate concerning gender identity, it is possible to pinpoint a tradition of designers who have constantly questioned the very meaning of the idea of gender, while basing their aesthetic choices on their own definition of masculinity and femininity; Giorgio Armani is surely on of the most prominent representatives of this flow.

Feminine ensemble, 1980s, Courtesy Galleria del Costume di Palazzo Pitti, All Rights Reserved

Starting his career as fashion designer in the years between the 1970s and 1980s, Mr Armani developed his aesthetic language blurring the boundaries between what was allowed to each of the sexes, redefining with his designs the very meaning of what is masculine and what is feminine. His ensembles – made iconic also by the infamous advertising campaigns, which were constructed on the very idea of gender bender and denial of stereotypes – seemed to be the natural response to to a shared feeling that permeated society in those years of political and social turmoil; women were beginning to ask recognition in the workplace, campaigning to be rightfully considered leaders; men, on the other hand, were starting to openly explore their sensibility, not being afraid to show it on the outside.

Exhibition 'La Regola Estrosa: Cento anni di eleganza maschile italiana’ held at Pitti Uomo 44, 1993, Courtesy Pitti Immagine, All Rights Reserved

Mr Armani’s replied to these changing sensibilities with two silhouettes that were coming directly from the attentive observation of the world around him, applying his innate ability to detect the requirements of a society in total revolution. Men’s jacket were stripped of their structure and inner paddings, allowing freedom of movement and giving a relaxed flair to the – rather formal – classical masculine attire; while women could pick from a varied set of structured garments, mostly jackets with big padded shoulders and sharp lapels – which could either be paired with streamlined trousers or flouncing printed skirt: in Giorgio Armani’s view, women didn’t have to completely renounce to frills and to the plasure of ornamentation, but finally gained the freedom to play with different styles, juxtaposing diverse attitudes and tastes to re-create, in their outfit choices, their unique personality.

Ensemble by Giorgio Armani, 1980s-1990s, Courtesy Victoria and Albert Museum CC BY NC

With his designs, Mr Armani has reflected on both female and male identities, developing two similar but intrinsically different ideals: in this way, he has been able to talk to a wider audience, made up of men and women who were gaining confidence in being complex and, in their complexity, not only contemporary, but more precisely postmodern.