King Giorgio crowns China visit with eccentric dazzler of a show in Central

The man Milanese call the 'King', Giorgio Armani, last night concluded his first visit to Hong Kong with two star- and diamante-studded fashion shows at HSBC headquarters in Central.

The last stop in a tour that also included Beijing and Shanghai - where the Italian designer opened a flagship store on the Bund - the shows marked the first anniversary of Armani's monolithic retail complex opening in Chater House.

The visit also signalled an increased commitment to the mainland market, where the fashion house plans 30 shops by 2008.

Staged on a mirrored runway before 1,000 of the city's social, fashion and business luminaries, the event was titled 'Eccentric'. And it was.

First shown in Milan in February, the autumn/winter 2004 collection broke with Armani's signature 'greige' palette and deconstructed tailoring by introducing an early 20th century, hourglass silhouette, fitted suits with fluted cuffs and hems and idiosyncratic accessories that included floaty feather hats and decanter-shaped jewellery.

'People expect a certain style from me but sometimes it is important to do something unexpected - that's what we love about fashion,' he said after the show.