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Duran Duran: Fashion Mavens

Fashion designer Giorgio Armani will work with Duran Duran on the design of the wardrobe for the group's upcoming world tour in conjunction with the release of their reunion album "Astronaut," which will hit stores on October 12th.

Giorgio Armani reconnected with Duran Duran when he saw them perform together for the first time in years at the ‘Fashion Rocks!’ charity concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall last year.

"I realised that here was a band of friends who had got back together to play great music and who were as edgy and stylish as they were when they first started out," Armani says in a press statement. "They’ve always been known for their great fashion statements, their rocking stage performances and for their multi-generational appeal. The audience response to them was incredible. So when Nick Rhodes got in touch and told me Duran Duran was going on the road again, I was enthusiastic about being involved."

Guitarist John Taylor is excited about Armani's involvement in their upcoming tour. "When we started thinking about stage clothes we knew that we wanted to combine great tailoring and incredible materials with something glamorous and slightly glitzy," he says. These elements have been the staples of the Armani collections ever since I can remember – and that’s what we were looking to tap into."

The result is four looks for the band which incorporate lamé, fine-striped and white silk evening jackets, black dress shirts with ruffles, Pop Art-style geometric prints, Crepe de Chine, denim, sheer black silk shirts, and lots of sequins used as highlights on everything from jacket backs to braces, and even as regimental-style stripes on the legs of jeans.

Sample the "GYR8" dance mix of Duran Duran's new single "(Wake Up For The) Sunrise" [MP3]

Also: The New York Times publishes interview feature with Duran Duran today (free subscription required)