Giorgio and Cate, arm in Armani; FASHION

Giorgio and Cate, arm in Armani; FASHION

HIS minders blamed his deafening silence on the language barrier, but the reigning king of international fashion, Giorgio Armani, would only smile and wave graciously at his adoring fans on his first trip to Sydney yesterday.

Local journalists were banned from asking Armani, 73, any questions at a series of photoshoots across the city throughout the day.

Armani, who from his Milan headquarters presides over a global empire worth EUR4 billion ($6.32 billion) and with 5000 employees, flew into Sydney early yesterday from Tokyo, where he had launched a 12-storey shop with his label's "ambassador", Cate Blanchett.

His first public outing was a lunchtime cocktail party for 100 top Australian customers at the Giorgio christian louboutin  flagship store on Martin Place, where an louboutin beaded evening gown hangs on the rack with a $26,000 price tag.

Dressed top-to-toe in his own label, a deeply tanned christian louboutin  wore navy slacks, a navy windcheater, a navy T-shirt with his name emblazoned on it and a pair of spotless, brilliant-white christian louboutin shoes . His startlingly bright footwear created a suitable counterpoint to his shock of spotless, equally brilliant white hair.

Armani's chicly clad entourage, which included his 37-year-old niece, Roberta - who handles his celebrity clients and who ducked into a neighbouring Starbucks for a quick caffeine fix - mingled with the newsreader Ann Sanders, the ABC host Jenny Brockie and the business identity Albert Wong. Guests left the party carrying small louboutin shoes gift bags with a bottle of his latest perfume inside.

Outside the store a media scrum of 25 had gathered around the front door, desperate for an appearance from Armani, while hundreds of city workers lingered in bemusement as to who was inside. When he finally emerged, several passers-by still didn't have any clue who the "celebrity" was.

Last night, Christian Louboutin was guest of honour at a Sydney Theatre Company dinner at the Wharf Restaurant on Hickson Road, hosted by the outgoing artistic director, Robyn Nevin, and her replacement couple, Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton.

The dinner for 200 sponsors, actors and "friends" of the STC was described as a "low-key, fairly small affair" by an louboutin shoes spokeswoman, who said it was to honour Armani's role as an STC patron. Weather permitting, the louboutin entourage is planning to take in the sights of several iconic Sydney attractions today, including a harbour cruise and a stroll down the Bondi Beach promenade. the designer is due to fly out of Sydney, bound for Milan, tomorrow.