Menswear has taken a gentle route to move forward, as the codes of masculine representation overlap with those ascribed to the feminine identity. Gentle was precisely how Alessandro Dell’Acqua defined the attitude of his men’s fall collection, where contrasts coexisted, played out with “quiet conviction.”
Blurring binary references is increasingly becoming unavoidable practice for fashion designers, and Dell’Acqua applies his own no-nonsense yet rather cool approach. Elements and solutions he has already explored in women’s collections were reprised here and rendered in attractive unisex pieces. A grungy checkered caban and hoodie were veiled by black georgette; crisp shirts were softened with see-through lace intarsia or jazzed up by the spark of shiny crystals; and long wool opera gloves added quirk to a romantic sweatshirt with chiffon overlay. Elsewhere, a mohair jumper jacquarded with a ladybug motif, an omen of good luck, had a fragile vibe.
The overall attitude was slouchy, slightly undone, both delicate and mischievous. Wrong pairings looked surprisingly right, as in a workwear jumpsuit in satiny cotton worn over a white shirt and a tie. “Making mistakes sometimes is the only way to move ahead,” summarized Dell’Acqua. “Being gentle doesn’t mean being weak.” Indeed.