Milan Fashion Week: The Armani Phone is Here

The Giorgio Armani show in about an hour is the first big show of Milan fashion week. Just to make sure all the press is his tomorrow, he also announced his new phone and partnership with Samsung. I wrote back in July that the phone was coming (touch screen and black so comparisons with iPhone and Prada phone are probably also coming) and predicted that we'll see a whole range of Armani electronics soon. Today he's announced they're also offering a LCD television and, soon, a whole line of consumer electronics. Rumor has it that Samsung went first to Prada, but since they don't have a home furnishings line, they thought it was not the right fit. Prada executives suggested Armani, since he's got Armani Casa already.

Whatever the reason, it's nice to start fashion week with something non-fashion. I've already seen so many frocks they're starting to blur in my mind. My funny friend Anne Slowey of Elle once said that there are only two types of shows you remember at the end of fashion week(s) -- those that were really, really good and those that were so bad they were comical. Kind of like Oscar dresses, come to think of it. Milan is where the big commercial houses have their shows -- let's hope the designers here will take some risks this week and give us something to remember, one way or the other.