N21 by ALESSANDRO DELL'ACQUA WOMEN'S FALL WINTER 2016 | #fashionshow

Re-live the catwalk experience on numeroventuno.com #N21FW16 "How do you do grunge if you actually truly, madly, deeply, and not-so-secretly really like pretty clothes? You go see Alessandro Dell’Acqua. “I really liked this mix of a beautiful 1930s silhouette, a really elegant dress, taken someplace casual,” the designer said today backstage before No. 21. Dell'Acqua forsook grunge’s trademark grime while referencing a Seattle–thrift store vibe for uneven tulle hems, naïf floral slip dresses, and one-armed tartan mohair pullovers. But back to this business of “casual.” We all know that fashion has gotten a lot more relaxed: Athleisure, anybody? This wasn’t that. By “casual,” Dell’Acqua meant just a little “off,” the type of comfort and ease and palpable individuality that comes from embracing one’s own eccentricity. It was why embroidered skirts were tucked under duchesse minidresses and with a lace slip dress on top. It also explained why thick-knit sweaters were studded with oversize rhinestones; scene-stealing fur coats were a mix of leopard and emerald shearling; sumptuous chinchilla was dyed chestnut with white skunk stripes; and mohair zip-ups were printed in saccharine sunset scenes. Which is not to say that it was all weird: Floral-print ’30s-inspired silk dresses could just as easily go out to brunch with the in-laws without their long-sleeved knit underlayers, and any number of the knits would look just as good with jeans as they did with unevenly hemmed flou. But