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Emporio Armani rallies fashion to the front line Emporio Armani sent its men to the front line, the picket line and the coal mine on Wednesday for a collection that infused working class reality with high fashion. Flat caps, military boots and thick woollen coats buttoned or buckled at the shoulder all suggested autumn/winter 2002-2003 would be a winter of discontent at Giorgio Armani's diffusion range. But in his typical way, Armani tweaked the basic shapes and styles to dress a modern city slicker, drawing waves of spontaneous applause from fashion editors and buyers alike. Shoulder-buckled donkey jackets that striking miners might have worn were reflected in soft slash-neck jumpers with an open zip on one shoulder. Heavy duty raincoats cut in cream gabardine were belted high on the waist and trimmed in chestnut leather. "It was original and when the typical Armani came out it worked well," said a European buyer who declined to be named. "But some things I don't see selling." Among those were ankle-length trousers cut wide at the hip then tapered to the ankle like women's capri pants, worn over shiny bovver boots fastened with thick velcro tabs at the top. More typical were Armani's trademark soft suits, this year cut wide, straight and long in the leg and made in magnified material. Oversized Prince of Wales check and salt-and-pepper suiting both jazzed up the black and white look. Once the city's working week is over, it's out into the mechanics' yard or farm yard in black or beige leather, lined with fur for jackets or cut in to wide ankle length trousers clipped together with metal hooks at the bottom. If that jump is too big, try a Prince of Wales padded jacket or herringbone coat with leather elbow patches and pockets. Evening, on the other hand, is the time for luxury to play with light, ebony velvet trousers shimmering below relaxed, coral red rollnecks -- a look that sparked rapturous applause. Velvet pushed its way to centre stage at Romeo Gigli's show but this time it was slightly crushed and dyed in the Italian designer's typically lush tones. A deep burgundy evening coat glimmered green under the bright catwalk lights while deep gold and copper velvet trousers flickered like live flames. For daytime, the ever-playful Gigli created check effects on jackets by stitching thick rows of brightly coloured thread up and down the material. Otherwise, checks came in oversized seersucker cotton on bright red or blue suits. And almost any style went in the trouser department, with long brown and red striped trousers cuffed with huge turn-ups or patchwork denim pants cropped above the ankle. The only general trend was to have an over-wide waistband so trousers hung low at the front and needed to be worn with braces to stay decent.
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