Armani rage at fashion fiasco

PARIS (AP) - Giorgio Armani yesterday accused French officials of cancelling his first Paris fashion show on a whim and said he planned to talk to his lawyer about how to proceed.

Officials cancelled the show on Wednesday evening, minutes before it was to take place in the Place Saint Sulpice on the Left Bank, claiming that the tent where it was to be held did not meet safety standards. Riot police had to be deployed when an angry crowd of about 1,000 invited guests protested noisily. against the closure.

In an interview yesterday, Armani said he was disappointed and bewildered: "They cancelled the show without even asking us what we had done ... Things are really different now from how they were 20, 30 years ago. France and Italy aren't so far apart anymore," the Italian designer said.

Armani added that while his goal was to resume work on his collection, he planned to consult his lawyer about the best course of action. "We spent a lot of money on this show and never saw the results. That is a problem." He did not say how much money, but there were reports that it cost up to $1m (pounds 625,000).

At the show, Armani had intended to celebrate the August launch of a new perfume, "Emporio Armani", and the opening of his new shop just blocks away from Saint Sulpice.