Italy’s fashion capital remembers Armani

Thousands of mourners paid their last respects Saturday to Giorgio Armani in Milan, whose mayor remembered him as a “man of extraordinary elegance” who left an indelible mark on the city and the global fashion world.

- BY COLLEEN BARRY

ABOUT 6,000 PEOPLE attended Saturday's public viewing for designer Giorgio Armani in Milan, Italy.

Armani died Thursday at 91 at his home in Italy’s fashion capital surrounded by loved ones. His fashion house said he worked up to the end. One of his final projects was a runway show marking 50 years of his signature brand, which is due to close Milan Fashion Week later this month.

Donatella Versace paid her respects in the theater where Armani regularly showed his ready-to-wear collections, leaving a bouquet of white flowers.

Other prominent mourners included Italian film directors Giuseppe Tornatore and Gabriele Salvatores; Giovanni Malagò, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee; and Italian fashion chamber president Carlo Capasa with his brother, Costume National designer Ennio Capasa.