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Giorgio Armani is throwing caution to the wind in the struggling climate for fashion couture. The Giorgio Armani atelier - modern eveningwear made to haute-couture standards - will debut on the catwalk during the Paris haute-couture shows in January next month.

The lure of haute couture for Armani is likely to be its red-carpet appeal as much as its kudos. Like John Galliano at Dior and Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, Armani is extremely well connected to the fashion glitterati. And the January shows are, of course, perfectly timed for Oscar dress shopping.