Alessandro Dell’Acqua doesn’t tend to follow any fashion fad; anything that screams chic makes him cringe. “I hold on to my obsessions, they’re so precious to me,” he joked on a pre-fall date. His clothes are perfect for an Italian neo-noir heroine, with a twist of bourgeois eroticism and a finely tuned mix of current and sensual vintage cues.
“I’m always into the same things: lace, boudoir sexiness, masculine versus feminine, a little leopard print, flesh tones, see-through,” he says. But he’s also partial to sharp tailoring, feminine bias-cut dresses with a flair, sparkly sequins contrasted with knits, and a touch of grunge. All of Dell’Acqua’s pre-fall obsessions haven’t changed, just the right proportions for novelty and freshness.
The latest is slimmer, slender and with smaller shoulders, as the coveted ankle-length double-breasted navy wool coat, with its large lapels hints at 1970. In a similarly small scale note, nude stretch jersey shorts cappottino are paired with a black lace layered turtleneck Breton striped sailor skirt in black velvet bra and paired with high-waisted, masculine white cotton briefs.
Introducing a leaner silhouette doesn’t make the oversized silhouette look dated. The generous volume, however, is less overwhelming, conveying a sense of sensual comfort rather than a strong, confident presence. A prime example was a round coat in black and white herringbone tweed with a puffed collar. Elsewhere, a cloud-wrapped fur coat in fluffy lavender cashmere looked stunning, and a waist-cinching black wool coat was offset by swirls of asymmetrical feathers.
There’s a lot to like about the collection, but the dresses are definitely the most coveted pieces. Bias-cut nude or lavender crepe, liquid sequins or floral-print silk are polished to contrast Dell’Acqua’s signature casual, grungy style.
