Armani

The eyes have it in Giorgio Armani's newest video campaign, Frames of Life, which uses the house's eyeglasses and sunglasses to tell stories about a group of characters from different walks of life.

The first of four black-and-white videos in the series features Luc, a writer whose first book — titled Frames of Happiness — has just been published. His frameless glasses are ever present in the video, which follows him from his home to a local bookstore, where he's delighted to find his work on sale. That one-minute clip went live just this morning on Armani's microsite for the campaign, and three more will make their debuts in the coming weeks.

A look at Luc's video, below.

In the space of two weeks, Patrick Robinson has signed on for another new job. The designer has been named creative director of Armani Exchange, the sporty younger arm of the brand he once worked for, Giorgio Armani.

According to WWD, Robinson's responsibilities will "range from product development to providing creative direction in marketing areas." He'll report to Armani Exchange's CEO, Harlan Bratcher.

Robinson was last in the news exactly one week ago today when he revealed plans to start a sportswear line called Paskho, which he's funding through Kickstarter. In his Kickstarter post, Robinson said he lost his passion while he designed for big brands like Anne Klein and Perry Ellis, and wanted to focus on something smaller. "Somewhere between Giorgio Armani and the Gap, I had stopped designing clothes and had instead become the guy who manages the people who design the clothes," he wrote. "I love to design clothing. Simple, beautiful, comfortable clothing that people can afford. It was this desire that led to my new endeavor: Paskho — ancient Greek for passion. Paskho is my passion."

An Italian newswire report suggesting that Giorgio Armani will form a foundation to run his fashion empire after he dies set the press ablaze with speculation that the future of the fashion label has been set in stone.

However, an Armani spokeswoman said today that the report, published by Ansa last week, was incorrect. Instead, the spokeswoman said, Armani, 77, would consider selling his company to a large fashion conglomerate only if he's presented with a good enough offer. And, while he is also considering leaving the brand to a foundation, Armani told WWD last week that it is "only one of the possibilities."

Armani's succession plan has been in focus lately because of a recent WSJ. Magazine profile that explores what will happen to the company after the designer is gone. In the profile, Armani admitted that he hasn't settled on a plan, saying, "As long as I'm here, I'm the boss."

Photo: Giorgio Armani takes a bow after presenting the Giorgio Armani Prive Haute Couture Fall 2011 collection in Paris.

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Rihanna's second collection for Emporio Armani has been revealed — or at least the sketches of it have. The collection will include tartan-trimmed denim shorts and a distressed denim jumpsuit. "She captures the young and contemporary essence of Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans perfectly," said Giorgio Armani. [Fashion Etc.]
  

• Carine Roitfeld is putting together a staff for her new magazine, CR Fashion Book. So far, she's hired former Teen Vogue accessories director Shiona Turini and stylist Michaela Dosamantes, who was most recently a contributing fashion and market editor for Vogue.it. [The Cut]
  

• Giorgio Armani has revealed the Olympic uniforms he designed for Italy's national team. The 50-piece collection includes everything from tracksuits to suitcases and was designed under his EA7 Emporio Armani sportswear line. [Vogue UK]
  

• Abbey Lee Kershaw and Edita Vilkeviciute join Tom Cruise on the May cover of W magazine. Cruise is dressed (well, tattooed, anyway) as his character from the upcoming movie Rock of Ages, and Kershaw and Vilkeviciute stand in as glamorous groupies. [Fashion Gone Rogue]

Photo Courtesy of W magazine.

>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Supermodel Petra Nemcova and her fiancé, Jamie Belman, announced Wednesday that they will not get married. The couple were engaged last January and had planned to marry in June, and said in a statement that they will "remain close friends." [The Cut]
  

• Former Jimmy Choo CEO Joshua Schulman has been named president of Bergdorf Goodman. Schulman and its founder Tamara Mellon both left the British accessories brand last year when it was acquired by Labelux, which also owns Derek Lam and Solange Azagury-Partridge. Schulman's first day is May 7. [Fashion Etc.]
  

• Rumors that Stefano Pilati will be taking over Armani have resurfaced in the wake of his departure from Yves Saint Laurent. While Pilati has said that he hasn't "planned any move" yet, various sources have said recently that he's set to start working for Giorgio Armani in the near future and will take over creative direction of the house when Armani retires. [The Fashion Spot]
  

• Model Charlotte Free is the new face of Forever21. In the past, 18-year-old Free has walked and posed for Roksanda Ilincic and Marchesa, among others. [Stylelist]
  

Stacy Keibler looked white-hot in a form-fitting Giorgio Armani frock at the 2012 Critics' Choice Awards in LA. Stacy blinged out her glam gown with diamond Kara Ackerman hoops and bracelets while toting an embellished Marchesa clutch. Our favorite accessory of Ms. Keibler's was the dapper George Clooney in a classic black and white tux. Shop here to snag an almost identical Alexander McQueen dress with other like items.

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