MILAN, Italy — Epic: there is no other way to describe the Emporio Armani show which took place Thursday night in the Emporio Armani labelled hangar at Linate airport.

The luminous insignia of the brand has been greeting passengers arriving and departing since 1996, but this was the very first time the place was used as a venue for a fashion show. And what a show! Mr Armani surely knows how to do things alla grande, as we say in Italian: he spared no means.

The show lasted a good 26 minutes, was introduced by an emotional video that felt like a love declaration to Milan, and was closed with a live exhibition by no one else than Robbie Williams. The organisation was impeccable and the level of entertainment was very high.

Packed into such a bursting, digital friendly frame, the clothes seemed almost like a side dish, but a substantial one, that's for sure: a co-ed recap of the Armani style in its younger version. There was really a lot going on, from denim to bright colours, from athleisure to sequins (a pair of embroidered shorts for men closed the show) but what really stood out were the floaty, deconstructed pieces with that timeless Armani stamp.

The label is trying hard to grasp the sense of cool it radiated in its 90s heyday. That element keeps missing, but we, as entertained audience, had fun following this spectacular attempt to get it back.