Giorgio Armani takes posthumous bow at Milan Fashion Week with final collection

What should have been a celebration of 50 years in fashion instead became a poignant farewell to Italian designer Giorgio Armani, who died earlier this month aged 91.

At its traditional closing slot for Milan Fashion Week, the Armani show became an outpouring of respect for the man who helped define modern fashion. There to witness the final collection worked on by Armani himself, the audience watched the show unfurl in a space entirely filled with candles.

Upstairs, an exhibition laid out the scope and influence of the designer, who burst on to the global scene in 1980 dressing Richard Gere in the film American Gigolo. While the film itself may be dated, Gere's fluid, laid-back wardrobe remains as effortless today as the day it was designed. It made stars of the designer and actor alike. It is little wonder, then, that Gere himself was present at the show.

Armani was known for his muted palette, favouring shades such as royal blue, purple and greige. Getty

In typical form, the show saw many models sent out in pairs, showing variations of a similar look or colour. A favourite trick of the late designer, he used this double-up to show multiple faces of an idea, told through subtle shifts in materials, colour, hem length or collar type.

Seeing multiple Armani clothes together also underlines exactly how skilful a designer he was.

Seen alone, his clothes can appear simple, almost quiet. Yet view them as a collection, and Armani's unique language is revealed: nuanced reduction, gender-blurring masculine codes, and the precise positioning of a fold in a jacket collar here or a truncated trouser length there.

Always underplayed, Armani's clothes are synonymous with sophisticated colour, such as royal blue, purple, grey and greige, all shot through with a scattering of fluid metallics.

The line has a number of lightweight, fluid looks. EPA

The bow at the end of the show was taken by the designer's successors, his niece Silvana Armani and his long-time right hand Leo dell'Orco, both of whom looked like they were still reeling from his absence.

Fashion may exist in a state of constant flux, but bidding farewell to such a pivotal figure was a powerful moment. As the saying goes, the show must go on, and we can be sure that the house will continue in the capable hands of his successors, yet following Armani will be no simple task. He may have tread lightly, but his are big shoes to fill.