Aldo Fallai for Giorgio Armani

Inaugurated in December and open until 11 August 2024 at the Armani Silos in Milan, the exhibition brings together around two hundred and fifty shots that tell the story of around 30 years of uninterrupted collaboration between Armani and the photographer Aldo Fallai.

The meeting between Armani and Fallai took place at a party in 1974. Armani was a young freelance stylist who worked as a consultant for various companies. Fallai, Florentine, graduated from the art institute, was a graphic designer with a strong passion for photography. The understanding between the two is immediate. Armani was moved by the awareness of a new society , in which women were ready to break the mold and claim power and autonomy and men to rethink their style with more attention; Fallai was fascinated by the aesthetic horizon that came from cinema, from neorealism , but also from late-Renaissance and mannerist painting, in search of an authenticity that always delves beneath appearances.

The exhibition, curated by Giorgio Armani, Rosanna Armani and Leo dell'Orco spans decades with great freedom, to tell the story of today. The photos, deliberately represented without any chronological order, are a snapshot that captures moments of timeless style . The idea of ​​both is to represent elegance in a discreet way, not to be ostentatious or even just noticed, but to be remembered.

The use of black and white chosen by Fallai for most of the shots is a winner: the images are invented but it is as if they were real, they are timeless but immediate, like the shot from which they are generated.

As described by Fallai in an interview “ I have vivid memories of the thirty years of our collaboration. The productions were always agile, streamlined: the result was achieved with few means and without special effects . This resonated with the public."

The photos, hung against the golden background of the Armani Silos, are like portraits or parts of a film in which the viewer can reflect and recognize but also remember.

The language used is strong but manages to represent soft, enveloping images. From this contrast arises a perfect harmony and balance between poetry and sensuality. Sensuality is never vulgar and never an end in itself, but a form of art and elegance.

As Armani himself declared “ Style, for me, is a total expression . And reviewing all the work created today, I am myself struck by the strong suggestion that these shots can still emanate, and by Aldo's great ability to capture the nuances of personality."

There are many shots that represent sunglasses in their various shades and shapes. As in a dream, they become emblematic of a change of perspective and an elegance to remember. Not just an accessory, but the most important part of our appearance.

And this is the part on which Mr. Shades Shop has concentrated, selecting the most elegant and timeless Armani models, which he offers, as always, at unbeatable prices.