No doubt there was some moment in my many decades of knowing Giorgio Armani when I finally felt comfortable enough to call him “Giorgio” instead of “Mr. Armani,” but it took time. Giorgio inspired immense admiration for his achievements, and also for his unwavering way of seeing the world and how we might look and live in it. Since everything he did was powered by a ferocious and indefatigable work ethic, addressing him—even with the formal “Mr.”—brought with it a kind of trepidation. He could be steely, and tough, and uncompromisingly direct when he wanted to be (I certainly saw that side of him on more than one occasion). But this was his persona—his buffer—and it served him well.

If Giorgio’s clothes were always clear in their intent—like Coco Chanel, he was only ever interested in tre

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