"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.
