From the depths of his Italian Vogue archives, Alessandro Dell’Acqua discovered an editorial featuring the late Stella Tennant, shot by Steven Meisel against the backdrop of the Devonshire countryside. This discovery sparked a collision of haute country restraint and French bourgeois-bohemian chic in Dell’Acqua’s imagination, resulting in a pre-fall collection that exuded eccentric ease and a touch of polish.
Dell’Acqua’s interpretation of elegance is a unique blend of naughty bourgeois, sporty grunge, and disheveled glamour, all filtered through his distinctive styling approach – he famously forgoes the use of a stylist. This season’s collection showcased covetable everyday pieces that were perfectly attuned to the current mood, while remaining uninterested in following passing trends. The lookbook was set in a luxurious Milanese home, providing a striking contrast to the irreverent ease of the collection.
The pieces in the collection were a mix of tartan-sequinned t-shirt mini dresses, Argyle knits paired with pleated dévoré georgette skirts adorned with gold thread, and tailored pieces in Prince of Wales checks and opulent gold lamé brocade. Outerwear options included Mongolian wool coats, padded parkas, and Loden-cut overcoats styled with oversized scarves, along with chunky chiné knits featuring long fringes that resembled feathers. Dell’Acqua’s innate talent for instinctive and idiosyncratic styling gave the collection a nonchalant yet impeccably put-together vibe.
The question of how Dell’Acqua achieves this effortless styling remains a mystery, as he simply smiles his enigmatic Cheshire-cat smile. The collection seamlessly integrated a clash of influences, resulting in a captivating mix of high-fashion and relaxed sophistication that would appeal to the modern, fashion-conscious individual.
