STORY: People queueing outside the Armani Theatre in Milan to see the late Giorgio Armani lying in state on Saturday (September 6) paid tribute to the fashion designer in the city he made his home.

"Everything he did in his life, he did precisely because of his ideal of unwavering passion," one man waiting outside the theatre said of Armani's work.

The designer was "always ahead of the curve," a Milan resident said, adding, "When we talk about class, we must refer only to his clothes, to him as a person."

Doors of the Armani Theatre in Milan, site of the chamber where the 'king' of Italian fashion who revolutionised menswear is lying in state for two days (September 6 and 7), opened to the public at 9 a.m. local time (0700GMT) on Saturday.

There will be a private funeral on Monday (September 8).

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: MILAN, ITALY (SEPTEMBER 6, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE QUEUEING OUTSIDE ARMANI THEATRE TO SEE FASHION DESIGNER GIORGIO ARMANI LYING IN STATE

2. SIGN READING: "ARMANI/TEATRO"

3. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE QUEUEING

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) PIER CARLO BERTOGLIO, MAN VISITING FROM LODI, SAYING:

"Everything he did in his life, he did precisely because of his ideal of unwavering passion. Therefore, he is an example of professionalism, entrepreneurship, and passion. Therefore, everyone here must testify to the love they received from him."

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) SIMONA CAPODANNO, MILAN RESIDENT, SAYING:

"Well, we happened to see him fix a window display. There weren't the lights he wanted; we actually heard him in one of the shops on Via Manzoni. We saw him fixing the T-shirt, saying, 'I want the light a certain way... fold the T-shirts.'" / FABIO MAMBRETTI, MILAN RESIDENT, SAYING: "Because they weren't the way he wanted them, not because the shop assistants are capable of doing it, they weren't the way he wanted them, the perfection he wanted. That's what I liked, perfection in everything."

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) GIUSY DEL VICARIO, MILAN RESIDENT, SAYING:

"A person, without a doubt, always ahead of the curve, in good and bad moments. I don't know. Let's remember that he was the first to hold a closed-door show in 2020, a show without music. What remained—that is, the sound of the models' heels—was iconic in 2022, during the war in Ukraine. In short, when we talk about class, we must not refer only to his clothes, to him as a person."

7. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE QUEUEING