Never one to shy away from a public confrontation, Giorgio Armani has accused Christian Dior of a "lack of respect" after the label scheduled a last-minute show during the Paris Haute Couture season, forcing Armani out of his agreed slot.
The Italian designer has had to switch his presentation from the intended time of 7.30pm to 9pm, having discovered that Dior was planning a second, unlisted show at 5.30pm for VIPs and clients as well as its official 2.30pm show for press.
And he wasn't going to let his rival Couture house get away with time-hogging quietly, issuing a damning email to journalists - which Fashion Wire Daily republished - to inform them of the change of time.
"I regret to inform you that as a result of a last minute, unexpected and unjustifiable change of program by Dior, about which we were informed less than two weeks before the date of the show, I have been forced to reschedule the timing of my own collection, postponing it from 7.30pm to 9pm on the same day, Monday 25 January," he wrote. "I am sorry for the inconvenience that this change may cause you, including the difficulty of publishing an article on the following day. I would like to make it clear that the alteration, which is occurring in spite of our repeated attempts to arrive at a more satisfactory solution, is an action which I consider to be arbitrary and indicative of a lack of respect for other people's time and labour. I would like to thank you in advance for your understanding and to say how much I am looking forward to seeing you at the show."
Dior appeared to stick the knife in right back, with a spokesperson for the label responding with a curt "we think it is not elegant to comment".
Didier Grumbach, President of the Chambre Syndicale - which organises the shows - acknowledged Armani's chagrin but was quick to play down the row.
"The calendar looked perfect. But suddenly there was 5.30pm show and that was too close to Armani's original time slot. So, of course he was aggravated. But Signor Armani reacted very quickly and beautifully to change the timing. We really appreciate his efforts," he said. "This sort of thing happens all the time, so people have to move, but in this case it is a real pity. Of course, the main problem is the models - that's always the main issue in these matters."
Armani is well-known for his outspoken ways. Last year he accused Dolce & Gabbana of plagiarising a trouser design, leading them to cattily comment, "Stylistically, the Armani style is not, and has never been, an inspiration source for us and we stopped seeing his fashion shows years ago."
Picture: Giorgio Armani takes a bow at his spring/summer 2010 ready-to-wear show in Milan last September.
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