The Techlash Comes to Milan. So Does the Coronavirus Fear.

MILAN — The last days of Milan Fashion Week took place as cases of the coronavirus crept closer and news reports came that at least two people had died in nearby cities. Though there were temperature checks at the airport — a uniformed man with an electronic thermometer greeted people disembarking from London — apparently it wasn’t enough. Schools and public spaces were ordered closed.

But not the shows! Though a cough nearby could often pause conversation, the shows would (and did) go on.

At least until the very end. Then Giorgio Armani, given the theoretic honor of being the closer, announced he would unveil his collection “behind closed doors. The decision was taken to safeguard the well-being of all his invited guests by not having them attend crowded spaces.” Instead, it would be held in his empty theater, and streamed live.

Through a screen (or phone), it was possible to see the empty Armani theater, a facsimile of a reflecting pool with nodding lotus blossoms at its core. Out flowed models wearing iterations of Armani classics in black velvet and flowers etched on silk in pink and blue; languorous silhouettes and strains of “Swan Lake;” cavalry epaulets, watery moiré and tufts of new leaf marabou — and a finale of red, black and blue sequined gowns with pyramid shoulders and traditional knotted black tassels, all gowns taken, according to the news release, “from the Giorgio Armani Privé Spring/Summer 2009 and 2019 collections, which were specifically inspired by China.”