A major exhibition featuring the work of Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani opened on Wednesday in Milan, three weeks after his death at age 91.

The show at the Pinacoteca di Brera art academy is titled "Milano, per amore" ("Milan, with Love") and includes about 120 garments spanning roughly five decades of Armani's career.

Highlights include the suit worn by Richard Gere in the film "American Gigolo," which helped launch Armani's global fame in the early 1980s.

Armani, head of the eponymous fashion empire, had been closely involved in planning the exhibition until shortly before his death on Sept. 4. The show, which will run until Jan. 11, features the clothing arranged among world-famous paintings by artists including Caravaggio and Raphael.

According to the designer's instructions, the art must remain the central focus. Armani was quoted as saying: "People come here for the art."

Armani's former home is just steps from the museum.

This coming Sunday, during Milan Fashion Week, the Pinacoteca will host an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Armani company, founded in Milan in 1975.

Unlike many fashion industry icons, Armani remained based in Italy rather than moving to Paris. His ashes are interred in the family tomb about an hour from Milan.