Did Armani crib Elton John's sunglasses from World?

terence koh/matt williams via purple diary


“The accessories - and the crystal suit - are fantastically camp. Elvis Presley might be long gone, but there's always Elton John”. So wrote frockwriter in September 2008 after visiting the Auckland HQ of NZ fashion brand World and being dazzled by the mad Swarovski crystal-embellished suits and accessories of its 'There is no depression' Autumn/Winter 2009 collection. The collection, which had just walked the runway at New Zealand Fashion Week, had been inspired by 1970s fashion icon Tina Chow. Well blow me down with a burlesque feather if Elton John didn't turn up at last week’s Grammy Awards for his duet with Lady Gaga in a pair of dead ringers for World’s fly-like crystal-studded sunglasses.

Frockwriter missed the broadcast of the Grammys and didn’t really pay much attention to the since widely distributed wider angle shots of the duo on stage.

But we did do a double take when we spotted this very clear Purple Diary shot, above, of Canadian artist Terence Koh "wearing Elton John’s Armani Privé glasses during Lady Gaga and Elton John’s Grammy rehearsals". Koh created the spectacular piano on which the duo performed their duet.

Whether or not it's due the different angles of the two photos, there does appear to be some slight discrepancy between these glasses sported by Koh and those finally worn by Elton John on stage (below). Perhaps Armani created several versions for him to choose from.

Given that World was referencing a 1970s New York fashion scene icon for its collection, perhaps the designers had an archival shot from that era on their inspiration board that season.

But then, perhaps Armani’s haute couture atelier had a shot from World’s show on its own, who's to say?

In any event, reports World, their glasses have since been purchased by the National Gallery of Victoria and are currently on display in Melbourne.


getty via daylife


world aw09/anzfw


self portrait at world