It is always a joy to watch a show staged by Mr. Armani. Not just in the delicate unveiling of liquid silhouettes, metallic suiting and intricate beadwork, but the fact that each and every season without fail the models walk to the runway with a smile on their faces. Naturally, this implores each collection to be underpinned with a sense of elegance, ease and innate jubilation. This was a mode that permeated the eternity of Emporio Armani’s Fall/Winter 2024 collection, even as a dusting of fake snow fell gently over models during the closing procession.

Just earlier in the day in Milan, the savants trotting their respective front rows were inundated by a downpour that expectedly moistened their curated ensembles. But under Emporio Armani’s umbrellas, the glitzy skeleton-like sequin tops and molten slip dresses lined with tesselating square motifs dazzled with the lightness of Gene Kelly merrily skipping through a rainy Manhattan evening. Then, arm-in-arm, two models wearing velvet suits adorned with bejewelled crescent moons parted at the end of the runway to unveil Milan’s north star: Mr. Armani himself.

This collection marked his ninth year under the banner of his younger, more sportif-influenced label. This season, the 89-year-old made no pretence to masquerade his affiliation with the art of tailoring. Over 86 looks, yes almost one for every year of his life, Mr. Armani incorporated the hallmarks of suit-making in precise lines, defined edge and considered shapes.

Stepping away from the fanfare and embroidery that marks his eponymous line, this collection was rooted in making the “su misura”, or Italian-style suit, wearable for the everyday. In doing so, outerwear was coated in red poppies or rendered in intriguing crinkle fabrics. Shirting, a crucial element in completing the Savile Row aesthetic, floated both above and below the jacket hem to invoke a sense of depth and dimension in what could be argued as a slightly repetitive mould. But while the template remained the same—suit jacket, trouser, shirt and so on—each silhouette oscillated from East to West. A trademark of Mr. Armani, indeed.

In some instances, like the opening number, the jacket was crafted in a tri-colour ombre fur that reflected the two biggest colour stories of last year, slate grey and crimson red. In doing so, and by pairing with a beret and casual slacks, this Armani model could’ve just waltzed onto the runway from Paris’ Le Marais. Elsewhere, a shee, polka-dot bubble-hemmed dress layered over nylon-esque pants and a velvet vest conjured the image of London’s Liberty in the 70s.

As the designer took his final bow at the conclusion in the show, the light and glean in his eye was apparent: nothing could rain on his parade. Watch the show below.