For decades, the red carpet of the Venice Film Festival was one of Giorgio Armani's most high-profile catwalks, with the stars of cinema donning his elegant creations for the eyes of the world.

With the death on Thursday, at age 91, of Italy's most famous fashion designer, the prestigious festival on the sandy Lido

Festival organisers called Armani -- who was often referred to as "King Giorgio" by the Italian media -- an "Italian genius of fashion and style" with a long history with the annual cinema

"Cinema was Giorgio Armani's first love, a passion that began in childhood and never left him," the festival said in a statement on Thursday.

"This is one of the reasons why Giorgio Armani became a great friend and frequent visitor to the Venice International Film Festival over the years,

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