What is the proper thing to say when meeting a fashion icon like Mr Armani backstage at his couture show? Felicity Jones has the answer, ‘Bellissimo,’ she tells Grazia. ‘Which he seemed to appreciate. It was my first time meeting him.’ The British actress has joined an exclusive circle of A-listers who have been dressed by the designer who’s pioneered the modern-day red carpet. Rubbing shoulders in the audience with fellow stars Laura Dern, Emma Thompson and Kate Hudson, ‘it felt like a special group,’ Felicity says. ‘They’re all fantastic women. We went for dinner afterwards and it felt very warm and familiar.’ And naturally, they were all donned in Armani.
This is an easy exercise for the 88-year-old maestro of Italian fashion, who, over the past four decades, has become synonymous with event-dressing. He famously kitted out Diane Keaton in 1978 and Jodie Foster in 1992, who he rescued from the Oscars worst-dressed list. Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts, too, are part of the Armani flock - the list goes on.
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‘There’s something magical and mysterious about his work. He’s got such a passion for film and you could really see it in the show. It was incredibly cinematic,’ says Jones. “I don’t use this word very often but last night’s show was absolutely exquisite.
The collection saw models in metallic pantsuits and velvet gowns but the dress that stopped everyone in their tracks was the closing bridal look: a red hooded gown with a fully beaded corset. As for Felicity's get-up? Her iteration of a tuxedo was the epitome of quiet luxury, ‘I love the simplicity and precision of his tailoring and things that have a sleekness to them – very simple but very elegant.’