Ihave reported on both the Giorgio Armani company and the man himself for more than two decades, not only in Milan but elsewhere. This Milan Fashion Week is especially poignant for many, given that it will mark the last shows of his designs for the Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani brands.

So it was suggested I write about my memories of Giorgio Armani, although different thoughts zapped through my mind as I am unused to writing a first-person perspective for WWD and also because there are indeed so many over the decades of meeting and reporting on him. I felt I had to carefully sieve through them to pay tribute to the designer.

The self-made man who built a fashion empire could be quite intimidating, but this larger-than-life persona belied a man with unexpected characteristics. Sur

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