The who’s who of the Dubai fashion scene were in attendance and high fashion was in as much abundance as the delicious hors d’œuvres. Yet the excessiveness of fashion was well balanced with Armani’s signature sophisticated minimalism. While the world’s largest LED screen provided chic visuals and subdued lighting, the flashes from the paparazzi cameras were a harsh reminder not to let your hair down too early in the evening.
But while the evening’s event saw socialites and fashionistas looking their best and industry insiders exchanging gossip over sniffs of the new Armani scents, the main focus was without a doubt the capsule collection itself.
A silent ode to his loyal Middle Eastern clientele, the ARMANI/PRIVE “La Collection des Mille et Une Nuits,” is a contemporary re-interpretation of a universal legend that seductively unravels the infinite splendors of the Orient.
A unique journey down the Silk Road, Armani takes you deep into a exclusive and luxurious world of “Haute Couture” fragrances that harnesses the exoticism of a ingredients, tames gold and spices, fluidizes smokiness and resins around three noble ingredients: Oud, rose and amber.
Referencing the well-known compilation of Arab folk tales, One Thousand and One Nights, the legendary storyteller Queen Scheherazade was the muse behind this special collection. Scheherazade fascinates, intrigues and enchants her Sovereign of Shahryar with her stories, in the same manner Armani’s new perfumes seduce and captivate us with its exotic and bold scents.
Oud Royal, Rose d’Arabie and Ambre Orient are tales themselves; each one revealing only enough to make us need more. A tale based on the nostalgic traditions imbedded even between the smallest grains of desert sand and enriched with the opulence of the kohl-colored night sky above. They are stories that entice with the mysterious whisperings from behind the arabesques of moucharaby latticework and linger like noble bloodlines.
Much as Scheherazade’s shrewdness allowed her to be saved by only telling what was absolutely necessary — and no more — Giorgio Armani shares this same astute sense of measure when it comes to his perfumes. By concocting the perfect fusion of ingredients with the exact balance between each of them, Armani gives these fragrances their unique identity of exclusivity and richness.
The collection of fragrances reveals the absolutely precious; like the 15th century Italian traveler who is fascinated by the opulence of treasures from Mysore, Ankara, the Arabian Gulf or the Himalayan foothills. Those treasures are now encapsulated in a minimalist perfume bottle made of black glass and dressed with a gold cap — signature Armani.
