Keeping It All in the Family

VITAL STATISTICS:

NAME SILVANA ARMANI

CURRENT JOB CREATIVE DIRECTOR, EMPORIO ARMANI WOMEN

FIRST JOB WORKED AT THE EMPORIO ARMANI STUDIO

INSIDE TRACK SHE IS ARMANI’S NIECE

CLAIM TO FAME HAS WORKED FOR ARMANI FOR 22 YEARS

NAME ROBERTA ARMANI

CURRENT JOB DIRECTOR OF VIP AND PUBLIC RELATIONS WORLDWIDE AT GIORGIO ARMANI

FIRST JOB WORKED AT AN EMPORIO ARMANI STORE IN NEW YORK CITY

INSIDE TRACK ALSO ARMANI’S NIECE

CLAIM TO FAME HELPED ORGANIZE CRUISE-HOLMES WEDDING

IF THE ADAGE that says behind every great man is a great woman is true, then Giorgio Armani is doubly blessed. Working behind the scenes in his Milan-based empire for 22 and 21 years, respectively, are his two nieces Silvana Armani and Roberta Armani.

“We were born with Armani in our blood, and we will die in an Armani Casa tomb!” says Roberta, 37, head of global and VIP communications, with a laugh. It’s not that bad, though. For Silvana, 52, working as the head designer for the Emporio Armani women’s label has been a rich experience. “We’re always being stretched because he has his own point of view,” she explains. “We prepare the collection, and then he comes in and gives his opinion. He is a perfectionist. You always believe you’ve given your best, and he thinks you can give more. And he’s usually right!”

If Armani sets the pace for his design studios and what comes out of them, Roberta sets the agenda regarding who wears Armani—and when—on the red carpet. She was instrumental in the planning of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ nuptials, and at any celebrity-driven event, whether it’s Cannes or the Oscars, you can usually spot her giggling with Holmes, George Clooney or Martin Scorsese. Indeed, one of her first tasks as an Armani employee was to take Leonardo DiCaprio out clubbing in New York City when he was just 17.

Last summer Roberta accompanied Beyoncé on a press junket to Madrid to launch the new Emporio Armani fragrance, Diamonds. Several weeks earlier, she says, she was in Cannes dressing “a lot of stars. At the after party at the Hotel du Cap in Cannes, I looked around the room, and there were five tables—George Clooney’s table, Scorsese’s table. And I thought, These are real friendships, not just product placement.”

For their own wardrobes, both Roberta and Silvana wear Giorgio Armani, naturally. “I have a velvet tuxedo from 1995 that I still wear all the time,” says Silvana, who sneaks a little bit of Polo Ralph Lauren into her weekend wardrobe. “I can wear any Armani jacket from 20 years ago,” declares Roberta. “It’s timeless.” But ever since she officially began doing VIP work for the company two years ago, Roberta has made sure that her wardrobe is 100% Armani. “My private life is public now too,” she says, “so even my house is filled with Armani Casa furniture.”

Silvana, who works with her uncle every day choosing fabrics and silhouettes, is preparing to launch an Armani Junior line next spring, including Baby, Junior and Teen. “It’s the next generation of luxury consumers,” she says, laughing.

So what is the Armani insider’s greatest luxury? “Travel experiences and time!” says Silvana, who indulged in a one-week trip to Goa and Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India, with Roberta last spring. “When you’re young, you don’t appreciate the time to be with your family.”

For Roberta, it’s time off—and the BlackBerry turned off too. “Luxury is not only the time to enjoy but to cut off the BlackBerry and the work mentality too. I feel guilty when I turn it off, but have you ever noticed that now because of the BlackBerry, nobody asks how you are anymore—they ask where you are?”