Alessandro Dell’Acqua isn’t one to conform—his not-so-bourgeois approach to dressing always carries a rebellious, undone edge. He’s a gentle disruptor. This season he embraced what he called “invasive bows”—no longer dainty symbols of prettiness, but extra-large knots adorning the décolletage of strapless tweed dresses or jutting out from the hips of black leather or sequined miniskirts. Loosely inspired by the crinolines in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, they looked fun and eye-catching, but also impractical. Dell’Acqua was lapidary: “I don’t care,” he shrugged. “You like them, you don’t like them—it’s fine. Life goes on.”
A movie buff, Dell’Acqua counts Sofia Coppola among his favorite directors. The collection’s moodboard featured images of Kirsten Dunst in Marie Antoinette, inspiring the exaggerated bows and soft pastel palette. The Virgin Suicides influenced a series of flimsy, not-so-innocent slender dresses printed with tiny floral and appliqués, while the minimal silhouettes and his “enduring fascination with la petite robe noire” were a nod to Lost in Translation.
The three themes blended seamlessly, creating a cohesive flow throughout the show. Bonded knits and felted wool added structure to hourglass-shaped coats; the sloped skirts worn under bon-ton short cropped jackets seemed to curl up at the sides, while voluminous blousons and egg-shaped opera coats in rich satiny fabrics provided counterpoint. Chez Dell’Acqua, there’s always an air of disheveled grace, a dash of je ne sais quoi that makes his designs both cool and wearable—a balance that remains elusive to many.
