>> After receiving a "high level of interest" over the past few days about his health — "there have been several phone calls asking the same questions and expressing the same concerns" — Giorgio Armani issued a statement yesterday "to calm these worries in my usual direct and clear style of communication."

The 74-year-old designer confirmed that he has "in fact suffered from hepatitis by poisoning, which, certainly is not a rare illness. Nevertheless it is one which requires some time for a complete recovery."  In the meantime, he says his “commitment both on the creative and management side [of his company] has never relented,” and everything "has continued to operate normally with business as usual . . . Consequently there has been no shift in delegation of my authorities to any one of the executives and everything in the company is proceeding with the usual energy."