Presiding over the fashion empire that bore his name for 50 years, Giorgio Armani, who has died in Italy aged 91, was one of the most influential designers of the late 20th century, said The Times .

At the start of his career, in the 1960s, he had spotted that members of the middle classes had different aspirations from their parents. Members of this post-war generation rejected the stiff conventionality of the past, and yearned instead for comfort, ease and understated luxury.

His first great innovation was to deconstruct the traditional tailored suit, by removing canvas linings and thick shoulder pads, lengthening the coat and moving buttons. Armani suits were soft, slouchy and fluid, designed to suit lean, muscular men who didn’t need tailors to disguise the shape of their bodies; h

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