Giorgio Armani Awarded with Légion d’Honneur

In a glamorous, friendly yet not-so-formal ceremony in the Winter Garden at the Elysée Palace in Paris, Italian couturier Giorgio Armani received the Légion d’Honneur. The award was given by French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Here’s how MyFashionLife.com described the event.

Friends of the designer including Carine Roitfeld (editor-in-chief of French Vogue) and Tina Turner turned up for the ceremony in which Sarkozy paid tribute to Armani’s 35 year career in the fashion industry, and in particular his ability to, “appeal to people from all walks of life, all over the world.”

The 73-year old designer started his career in fashion in the 1960’s -but he first got international recognition when he created the tailored suits of Richard Gere’s character in the 1980 film “American Gigolo”. 11 years later, Forbes named Armani the most successful Italian designer.

So which other stars graced the event? Dame Helen Mirren, Lady Helen Taylor, Princess Mafalda Von Hessen, French Vogue editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld and L’Oreal president Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones.

In addition to this recent award, Armani served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 2002. He also designed clothing for Bono’s RED campaign.

All these achievements are really exceptional for the man who singlehandedly stylized the way that men’s suits are worn and tailored.

Check out this Giorgio Armani interview.