Emporio Armani brought out the Blackshirts. Emporio Armani presented the most overt nazi fashion show ever shown on the runway. Benito Mussolini would be proud. Black leather uniforms that came down the runway were the hallmark of the German gestapo.

The Blackshirts were fascist paramilitary groups in Italy. Mussolini's Blackshirts were organized by Benito Mussolini. Mussolini's Blackshirts used intimidation and violence, and murder against his opponents, on his rise to power. Hitler's nazi's SS had a similiar aesthetic. The Blackshirts that Armani is referencing stand for murder, and violence. One of their distinctive techniques was force-feeding castor-oil often laced with petrol down their victoms throat.

Do people realize what this style/fashion is referencing? Are we that devoid of ethics/values that this is now acceptable. What does that say about today's culture? What kind of fashion statement is this? The idealization of nazi style has been growing  the last couple of years. Nazi style was used in Luchino Visconti's film 'The Damned', in 1969 but it wasn't glorified; it honestly dealt with it in context. He was villified at the time and the movie was initially banned in America.

There is no context here. It's mindless, and offensive. Luchino Visconti, an Italian Duke, knew what fascism was; he and many others at the time condemned it. If you think this is cool, do you think concentration camps were cool? Fascist fashion. Nazi ideology and stylization was well understood by Luchino Visconti. He knew that  hitler had an artists eye. The aesthetics are quite chic. All black. Hitler was a failed artist. Hitler was denied admittance to the Vienna Academy of Art in 1905. The Academy gave two grades in their review for admittance; "Satisfactory", and "Unsatisfactory". Hitler received a curt letter from the Academy stating bluntly- "Unsatisfactory". Denied Admission (you aren't worthy). It's a cold cruel world, and nobody cares. He gave back to this heartless world a thousandfold.  Hitler never recovered from this rejection. This anger and resentment was especially aimed at this intellectual artistic world he wanted so much to be a part of. Revenge is sweet. Revenge is cruel. The jewish intellectuals of the Academy represented the elitist world that he especially hated.

Hitler was a disturbed individual, and to make light of this and show it as just another style or fashion without any context is reprehensible. To make light of it is not worthy of anyone especially a multi-million dollar corporation like Emporio Armani. This is dishonest and insulting to the memories of so many people who suffered under fascism, in Europe in the '30s. How would you feel if you were a holocaust survivor and you saw this? Memories of the gestapo dragging you away in the middle of the night, isn't chic.

Lady GaGa collaborated with Giorgio Armani for this collection. Lady GaGa has appropriated a nazi like aesthetic herself. Her current video/Alejandro uses stylization that is nazi in it's aesthetic. Apparently, nazi aesthetics are popular now. Do people like Lady GaGa understand the historical perspective. See my previous article -" '20s modernism and Weimar Decadence" for Euro perspective of nazism as depicted in Luchino Visconti's The Damned. You want to see some real nazi debauched aesthetics- see this movie. This is the real thing. You might not be able to stomach it. This has context. He is just not referencing style, he's putting it in a political context that explains nazism. This is a more honest depection of nazism, and its aesthetic -it depicts the downfall of a prominent German family, into the depths of nazism. S&M, transvestism, is all on display, in graphic detail as depicted in a gay SA orgy. The decadence in this movie makes Lady GaGa look like little red riding hood. Note also the extensive use of black heavy eye shadow on men and women, on the runways. This is reminiscent of this nazi aesthetic. Again this is from the '30s. Nazi style is being glamorized out of context. It's cheap exploitation of a very serious subject.

Joel Nikolaou