When the fashion landscape feels dominated by brands — big ones or little ones with big branding — all the messaging and obsession with social currency can drown out the fashion. Which is what made Alessandro Dell’Acqua’s fall Rochas collection so appealing. Entirely free of artifice, the show was simply about beautiful clothes — day clothes, specifically.
“It’s very important for me that it’s a day situation, but very rich,” Dell’Acqua said backstage. “All the people ask me, ‘Where is the daywear in Rochas?’ This is the daywear in Rochas.” He worked from a late Seventies point of view, mixing two parts Parisian bourgeois polish, one part Italian swagger, for a lineup that radiated luxury, quality and style while maintaining discretion.
The show opened with a cognac double-face cashmere suit that had the golden ratio of slightly mannish fit and sexy elongated leg. An opulent brocade jacket was worn over a knee-length floral chiffon dress. The neat fit of a snug, tailored bomber jacket in nubby camel wool put refreshing distance between the style that’s been claimed by streetwear.
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Throughout, Dell’Acqua showed a keen eye for color, working complimentary shades of green with peachy pink and mint green with turquoise and camel. Lest the look go too down-to-earth, he grounded each outfit in a pair of fabulous python boots or loafers with groovy glitter heels. These were not clothes to buy for a season and trade on the designer resale market. They’re to have and to hold.