"It's always images of Helmut Newton from the '70s that inspire me," says Alessandro Dell'Acqua. "That sense of femininity, sensuality and strength."
In Dell'Acqua's fall collection, that strand of design, abstracted from the tradition of Saint Laurent, turned rock'n'roll in a Milanese kind of way. His loopy black carpet-knit jackets recalled Saint Laurent's seminal 1940s collection, but were also cousins of this season&'s knits at Balenciaga and Helmut Lang. Dell'Acqua's personal signatures, meanwhile—chiffon dresses and delicate underwear—showed through in handkerchief-point crinkled shifts, sheer ivory pieces scattered with silver sequins, and the lace-edged satin lingerie peeping out amongst the knits. He also merged classic tuxedo dressing with sport elements, transposing the satin ribbon of a "smoking" trouser onto cashmere sweat pants. The collection was at its hippest in its simpler moments, though, where Dell'Acqua applied his tailoring skills to neat shrunken jackets, A-line skirts and flares in navy blue cotton.
