A Guggenheim Museum Publication Elegant and unprecedented, this lavish volume accompanies a major exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, exploring the life and work of the highly influential fashion designer Giorgio Armani. Armani has been universally credited with both radically changing the rules of contemporary fashion and, by removing excess ornament and translating traditional sportswear looks into business and evening wear, creating a timeless version of modern dress. A wealth of illustrations, including editorial and advertising shots and new, specially commissioned photographs, chart the evolution of Armani"s designs from the earliest sketches to their carefully orchestrated presentation as finished work. Celebrated authors from the worlds of fashion, film, art, and design analyze the scope of Armani"s achievement and his cultural and sociological impact on the ways both women and men dress today. In addition, personal photographs of Armani"s houses and travels offer an intimate look at the man behind the fashion legend. GERMANO CELANT is senior curator of Contemporary Art at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. HAROLD KODA, formerly a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, both in New York, is now an independent costume curator. PAOLA ANTONELLI is a curator at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. NATALIA ASPESI is an Italian fashion journalist. MARSHALL BLONSKY is a cultural critic and an adjunct professor at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. JAY COCKS is a screenwriter and former journalist. Patrick McCarthy is chairman and editorial director of Women"s Wear Daily. SUZY MENKES is fashion editor of the International Herald Tribune. CAROLINE RENNOLDS MILBANK is a fashion historian and author. MARTIN SCORSESE is an award-winning film director. INGRID SISCHY is editor-in-chief of Interview magazine. 350 illustrations, 250 in full color, 10 x 12"