In a time where everyone is rush-rush-rushing to gobble up trends, where designers can’t turn out magpie accessories and logo-dense collections fast enough, where the cycle is condensing to more and more abbreviated turn-arounds, it was with some joy that we discovered that some brands in Paris are taking a more classic approach. One of them is Rochas, headed by Alessandro Dell’Acqua. For Fall/Winter 2018, a sincerely beautiful collection held timeless appeal. You could wear these looks 50 years ago or 50 years from now, and they would still hold up. That’s rare.
With some daywear propositions (finally) in the mix, Dell’Acqua paid not one whit to current trends, save for suiting. His were loose, double-breasted, and featured overwide shoulders. A handsome plaid version traded a traditional blazer for a leather-trimmed bomber, to modern effect. Most of the day offerings focused on separates, which had a mix-and-match ease to them. There were woolly layered looks, a gorgeous metallic brocade opera coat worn with a lovely mismatched floral printed dress, silky A-line skirts with crystal grid overlays, a navy pinafore dress depicting a meadow scene in metallic beading, and even a little high/low mixing, as in the case of a tight fur bomber jacket worn with a gorgeous beaded pencil skirt.
A collection that was inarguably lovely from start to finish.
Other highlights included an eggplant purple leather pussybow blouse paired with an elegant lavender duster with overwide lapels, a softly pleated peachy organza dress with a jeweled neckline, and a variety of glitter boots and snakeskin crossbody bags. All of the jewel tones, metallic brocades, dense beading, and sophisticated outerwear made for a collection that was inarguably lovely from start to finish.
