Armani postpones One Night Only in Shanghai

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
May 4, 2018

Giorgio Armani has called off a major planned event in Shanghai, scheduled for late May.
 
The Italian designer had intended to stage one of his spectacular events known as One Night Only – which historically has featured mixes of shows, concerts, store openings and exhibitions - in the Chinese city on Friday, May 25.

 
A spokeswoman for Armani cited “circumstances outside of the control our house,” when explaining the change of plans to FashionNetwork.com, without being more specific.
 
“Certain elements were not exactly as we wanted them, and the Armani organization likes things to be very precise, especially as we are inviting into China many people from all over the world for three or four days,” the spokeswoman added.

She stressed that the change of plans “have nothing to do with Signor Armani’s health. He is in great condition.” The house now plans to stage the event later this year, "in the worst case in 2019."
 
Armani’s jaunt into Shanghai was also to have included a retrospective of his latest Giorgio Armani Privé haute couture collection.
 
Armani debuted the One Night Only concept in London in 2006 in an epic soiree inside Earl’s Court, where Beyonce and 50 Cent performed. He followed that in 2007 in Tokyo; Rome in 2013 and Paris in 2014, when he turned the Palais de Tokyo into an Asian Zen nightclub.
 
Armani has previously staged a massive show in the main square of Shanghai, Tiananmen Square, in 2004 when he opened not one but three boutiques in the city; and held a retrospective of his work inside the Shanghai Art Museum. Partly sponsored by Mercedes Benz, the exhibition featured the original Mercedes 350 convertible that Richard Gere drove in American Gigolo, when he was dressed by Armani in the ultimate “fashion movie.”
 
However, today’s surprise news will possibly be seen positively by the house of Christian Dior. It is also scheduled to stage a major show on the same night – its Cruise 21018/19 show inside the famed stables, the Museum of the Horse in Chantilly.