No. 21 Fall 2023 Menswear Collection

It’s no secret that le charme discret de la bourgeoisie keeps Alessandro Dell’Acqua under its spell. “I like the fact that they make rules just to break them one minute later,” he joked. This spirit of disobedience has been woven into his collections from the very beginning, and he has no plan to ditch it anytime soon. Quite the contrary. His men’s collection was an ode to the classic bourgeois wardrobe, revisited with a gentle twist of insubordination.

The target of his irreverence was the subdued uniform of old-world Milanese ladies, the cashmere twin-set, often worn with a brooch as a sign of riches and status. For Fall, Dell’Acqua made room in No. 21’s masculine closet for a revised version of that bourgeois feminine staple, and offered it in many iterations walking the line between eccentricity and conformity. In grey Shetland wool, felted cashmere, leopard-printed mohair or covered in liquid nude sequins, the twin-jumper-sets were given a romantic twist via shredded-chiffon rosettes appliquéd on a shoulder, or via multiple silver brooches in the shape of scorpions pinned at the neckline.

The vibe was languid and a bit decadent. “I was thinking of boys when they’re still in their chrysalis phase—not kids anymore, but not yet grown-ups,” said Dell’Acqua, whose collection’s muse was the ephebic, preternaturally angelic Tadzio of Visconti’s Death in Venice fame. White crepe de chine chemises with trailing lavallières, poplin shirts with chantilly lace entredeux and feather boas sprouting from the lapels of soft tailored overcoats were seen through the designer’s tender look at masculinity.

Tailored suits and classic wardrobe staples as trench coats, greatcoats and pea coats received the same gentle treatment; volumes didn’t boast any extra-broad shoulders, but “normal proportions, beautiful fabrications, very soignée execution,” explained Dell’Acqua. “I’m a bit over the streetstyle trend, or over any trends for that matter. I’m just following my own rules, to break them whenever I please.”