Paris fashion weekIt often takes a while for the rhythm of an Armani collection to get a grip. Tonight's Armani Privé couture show, the fulcrum of yet another of Giorgio Armani's One Night Only spectaculars, was no exception. The beginning was casual, tentative: little silk tops with plissé pants or skirts, a silk jacquard blazer paired with a gazar skirt.

Then a new dimension kicked in. The models—heads wrapped in scarves, with dangly earrings, in full skirts and low-heeled shoes—began to evoke the gypsy spirit of arch fashion icon Loulou de la Falaise. That is hallowed ground for any designer, given de la Falaise's goddess/muse status with Yves Saint Laurent. You have to be a titan to take it on. Armani clearly has the cojones to claim the look.

He did it with his default position: navy blue. It's nonsense that this man is permanently damned with greige. It's North African navy where he has found his sweet spot—the midnight blue of a velvety desert sky, untroubled by ambient light, alive with stars.

And if this is the way he exorcises his demons, then all power to him.

Fashion Brand: Armani Prive | www.armaniprive.com

It often takes a while for the rhythm of an Armani collection to get a grip. Tonight's Armani Privé couture show, the fulcrum of yet another of Giorgio Armani's One Night Only spectaculars, was no exception.