Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who died aged 91, will be buried on Monday in a private family ceremony in a village near Milan, local officials said.

 

Thousands filed past his coffin over the weekend, on display next to the headquarters of his multi-billion-euro lifestyle company in Milan.

 

 

Armani, who died last Thursday, will be buried in the medieval village of Rivalta south of Milan, where his mother is also interred, the local association for the castles in the region said on Sunday.

Security will be deployed to “ensure the privacy of the funeral,” scheduled for mid-afternoon, the association said on social media.

Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala also announced a day of mourning in his city on Monday.

 

The Armani company told AFP that its shops in Italy would close on Monday afternoon as a sign of respect.

Hollywood stars, politicians, and sports figures have been paying tribute to the fashion legend since his death.

 

 

AFP

Canadian-British designer Edeline Lee presented her latest spring-summer 2025 collection at London Fashion Week (LFW) on Monday with a loyal customer in attendance — Victoria Starmer, the wife of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

 

The label with the fitting tagline “Clothing for the Future Lady”, has dressed some of Britain’s most powerful women, including Catherine, Princess of Wales and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.

Last year, Victoria Starmer, who generally keeps a low profile and has been praised for her style, wore a red belted dress by the designer for the Labour party conference — one of her few political appearances.

 

Variations of the same outfit were on display in the new collection — belted jacquard dresses with flutter sleeves in cornflower, yellow, coral pink and emerald green.

At the brand’s first-ever LFW catwalk show, Lee presented tailored midi and maxi dresses, flowing pantsuits and sequinned gowns intended to make the wearer feel “polished, ready and powerful”.

 

Attending the show on the banks of the River Thames while her husband was in Rome meeting Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, Victoria Starmer opted for a blue and white polka-dot jumpsuit with a tailored navy blue jacket.

 

However, she could not fully step away from politics.

Over the weekend The Times newspaper accused Keir Starmer of breaching parliamentary rules by failing to disclose that a Labour party donor had bought more than £5,000 ($6,600) worth of designer clothes for his wife.

The prime minister insisted on Monday that “rules are being followed” after it was also reported that Labour’s Waheed Alli gave Keir Starmer nearly £20,000 worth of clothes, which he had declared.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP

A Miss South Africa contestant whose Nigerian heritage sparked a national controversy and a government investigation withdrew from the beauty pageant Thursday.

Chidimma Adetshina’s announcement that she would not take part in Saturday’s final came a day after the Home Affairs ministry accused her mother of fraud and identity theft.

“After much careful consideration, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw myself from the competition for the safety and wellbeing of my family and I,” Adetshina, 23, wrote on Instagram.

Adetshina, a law student, has been the subject of vicious, xenophobic attacks on social media since she was announced as a finalist in July, with many — including cabinet ministers — questioning her credentials because of her Nigerian descent.

Adetshina has previously told local media she was born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a South African mother of Mozambican descent.

The ruckus led to an investigation into her citizenship following a request from the pageant’s organisers.

On Wednesday, home affairs minister Leon Schreiber said the investigation uncovered “prima facie indications” that Adetshina’s mother might have committed fraud and stolen the identity of a South African woman.

The ministry said it was obtaining legal advice on the implications of this on the citizenship of Adetshina, who was an infant at the time of the alleged fraud.

South Africa grants citizenship by birth to anyone born in the country after 1995 to a South African parent or permanent resident.

 

Adetshina’s participation in the pageant stoked anti-foreigner sentiment in the nation, which has witnessed violent, and at times deadly, attacks on immigrants in the past.

Politicians, celebrities and ordinary citizens weighed in on the debate. While many came to her defence, others argued she should be disqualified.

Announcing her decision to quit, Adetshina thanked everyone who “stood beside me right from the start of my Miss South Africa journey”.

“I am really grateful for all the love and support I have been shown,” she wrote.