The 89-year-old designer put on a playful, cinema-inspired show for his celebrity guests.

His Armani Prive collection was built around harlequin-patterned couture creations, often paired with ruffled collars.

Dresses, tops, trousers and headpieces shimmered with sequins. Splashes of bright blues, greens and pinks were added to the largely black ensembles, with silhouettes skin-tight or floaty.

The Venice Film Festival has lacked its usual star power this year with many Hollywood A-listers forced to shun the event because of the actors’ strike.

However, Armani, one of Italy’s greatest postwar designers, had no problem filling the city’s old armoury with glitz and glamour. Actors Jessica Chastain, Sophia Loren, Sydney Sweeney and Rege-Jean Page and filmmakers Ang Lee and Ava DuVernay were among the famous faces in the front row.

Armani’s “One Night Only” fashion spectacles have previously been held in cities including Tokyo, New York, London and Dubai.