Speaking of Armani...

Perhaps no designer came to represent the 80s fashion split with the past more than Giorgio Armani.

He began his love affair with fashion as a window dresser for a Milan department store and eventually became a buyer for their men's wear department. Not long after he became a freelance designer creating his own men's wear line which he marketed through several fashion houses. By 1979 he was ready to go big time and established the Giorgio Armani Corp. He pioneered what were at the time non-traditional advertising methods including designing for film and eventually landed an agreement to design for Miami Vice in the mid 80s. This association turned him into a household name in America and launched him as a superstar in the fashion world.

Among Armani's rules of style for men are:

Elegance, sophistication, and timeless style are always better than of-the-moment trends, which will date—and date the wearer.

Never skimp on staples: they are the basis of your wardrobe.

A single-breasted is more versatile than double—allowing you to dress your suit up or down more freely and use the jacket as a separate more easily.

The most important thing is to feel comfortable in your clothes.

The worst mistake you can make is looking like you’re trying too hard. To develop your own individual style, really consider what suits you.

When buying a suit, go for a color that will not date too soon, like a mid-tone gray or a black.

Accept the hand you have been dealt and make the best of it. Don’t waste your life trying to change things you cannot change, and don’t dwell on them.

Confidence and a sense of humor make a man sexy. And having an Armani wardrobe doesn’t hurt either.

Today Armani himself is said to be worth something in the neighborhood of $7 billion. Not a bad neighborhood.