American Gigolo
Still from American Gigolo, 1980.
© Alamy

Julian Kaye, the male escort at the centre of Paul Schrader’s 1980 drama, is the Armani man incarnate: louche, sophisticated and always impeccably dressed. The designer was commissioned to create Richard Gere’s wardrobe for the film just five years after having established his label. The film brought Armani international acclaim and revolutionised men’s tailoring, transforming the suit from a boxy workwear staple into something loose, light and decidedly elegant. There were also preppy shirts unbuttoned to the navel, crisp khaki trousers and a belted cashmere trench that combined Italian craftsmanship with all-out Hollywood glamour.
The Untouchables
The Untouchables, 1987.
© Everett Collection / Alamy

Prohibition-era Chicago makes for a stylish setting in Brian De Palma’s 1987 thriller, which sees Kevin Costner’s idealistic police officer Eliot Ness face off against Robert De Niro’s Al Capone. Armani supplied several three-piece suits for Costner, including the grey ensemble he wears in the final showdown against gunman Frank Nitti on the roof of the city’s courthouse. Costner’s clean lines and subdued colour palettes lift him above the fray and stand in stark contrast to De Niro’s ill-fitting jackets and flamboyant cravats.
Goodfellas
Still from Goodfellas, 1990.
© Alamy

For Martin Scorsese’s 1990 fable about the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill, Armani tailored suits that captured the essence of New York’s seedy criminal underbelly. The designer and director have collaborated many times since, and their admiration was clearly mutual from the offset: that same year, Armani was the subject of Scorsese’s documentary short Made in Milan, which examined the designer’s creative processes and paid tribute to his work.
Read more here
