Alessandro Dell Acqua made his eponymous label, No21, a go-to brand thanks to his well-known signature which highlights his love to a feminine, sensual woman. His innately Italian sense of style mixed with his favourite tunes of George Michael makes his collections feel chic, but in an effortless way.
AW15 – Alessandro knows, how to mix contemporary with opulent – a tweed pencil skirt worn with a gold-patent jacket; a hoodie styled with hand-embroidered dress – those are just few examples of how this designers rolls in fashion. For autumn-winter 2015, the designer of No21 brought a lot of blush pink which beautifully contrasted with all of the shades of grey and beige that overlapped on the catwalk. The two snow-white looks were excellent, too – the coat and dress with floral embroideries are dreamy.
Resort 2016 – Dell AcQua fused many themes at a time – the marine chic which involved stripes; ethnic prints; oriental textiles (look at the canvas shoes!). All of that mused about the idea of a perfect “tropical escape” wardrobe. The midi skirt with a sexy cut-out looked truly gorgeous with that over-sized chunky sweater, while the warm colour of curcuma gave a laid-back mood. Throughout his fashion tenure, Dell AcQua is known for his talent of mixing feminine silhouttes with masculine forms – the sailor jacket is the must-have of the collection, combined with one of these crispe checked skirts.
SS16 Men – “I took a big risk, breaking the mold I have created myself,” The designer of No21 said backstage. “It was time, I think. Freedom was high on my agenda. I’d like to convey a clear message of fashion as an amusing expression of personality. We can do that in Milano, too.” Indeed, the new collection for men was totally different than all the others up to date. Totally new silhouettes – shorts which reminded skirts; over-sized knitwears (which, basically, landed on my wish-list); great varsity jackets and elegant peacoats. The textures here became more tactile and softer. And the ultra-long t-shirts and tank-tops gave us a chilled-out vibe (just like in the women’s collection for Resort 2016), just like the boots, which had their laces tied in a slouchy way.
SS16 – Care-free. Comfortable. These are the words that can easily describe Alessandro Dell Acqua‘s spring-summer 2016 collection. With George Michael’s moody tune playing during the fashion show, the models of the moment – Lineisy Montero, Molly Bair, Stella Lucia – wore long, silk dresses in delicate cigarette prints. The romantic colour palette was broken by gypsy-esque florals and modernist stripes. Also, the collection was plenty of the season’s favourite bias-cut slip dresses thrown over t-shirts – this gave the entire collection a very easy attitude, and the socks styled with sheer skirts were a throwback to #normcore. These clothes will definitely hit the stores with success, just like the statement tasseled, raffia sandals. These will be truly popular next season, as they are the instant favourites of street-style stars. Also, it’s worth to note that within the summer season, No21 starts expands its fashion line into eyewear. The first silhouettes are all about circular, simple forms and comfort of wearing.
I must admit, that season after season, Alessandro builds his fashion identity with amazing speed – this collection can be called as the best one to date. And no wonder why. It’s really good.
Design & Culture by Ed 