Nostalgia, contradiction, edge, easy branding — there are many explanations for the collective obsession with varsity sports attire that has swept runways up and down the fashion food chain. The idea was largely unjustified at Rochas, where Alessandro Dell’Acqua brashly emblazoned the letter R on the upper-left breast of blouses and jackets that were of otherwise feminine resolve. Equally puzzling were utility belts, also stamped with an R, strapped tightly across the busts of romantic gowns; ditto the heel-less jock socks worn with fanciful slingbacks that featured a flutter of fringe on the toes.
A collection shouldn’t be judged on styling alone, but Dell’Acqua’s effects felt so random — yet so obvious — that they seriously distracted from the collection. Needlessly, too. The clothes were a beautifully crafted expression of the tension between naïf and womanly sensuality, which was Dell’Acqua’s original intention, according to his show notes. Drop-waist silk georgette slipdresses worn over buttoned-up blouses channeled graceful innocence, while gowns made of patchworks of black guipure lace and macramé didn’t need to be buckled in or stamped to capture a delicate, Gothic edge.