Italian brand N°21 unveiled its Spring Summer 2023 The Lovers Womenswear Collection, that explores lovers’ moods, feelings and states of mind, on Wednesday, September 21st, during the ongoing Milan Fashion Week. The collection examines the term lover, from the original meaning – an individual who loves intently, to moralists’ derogatory meaning – a person who has a secret love affair. For the season, designer Alessandro Dell’Acqua reflects duality between moralism and passion, freedom and constraint.
SPRING SUMMER 2023 COLLECTIONS
Lovers, women who love, are by definition bearers of many different feelings and moods: love, joy, passion, wellness, eroticism, sexual desire, heartbreak, anger… they can all give way to one another in quick succession. More than instinctive reactions, these sudden mood swings reveal a taking note of situations that change from one moment to the next. And then there’s an ambivalence that I’d call natural, because obviously women who love are very much loved by the men who return this love and are instead detested by female rivals for that same love.
However, the word (lover) refers as well to a wonderful role that turns tragic when it is set aside merely because, according to the extended moralistic slant society has put on the term, a lover becomes someone who has a clandestine affair and thus loses social acceptance. Namely, her love story becomes one that must be kept hidden and conducted in secret, often fleetingly and in awkward places. – Alessandro Dell’Acqua, creative director of No. 21
“Skirts always have something off, are not fully fastened in back. Sheer silk/nylon blouses come complete with lace inserts. Double-knit minisuits present red sequin or tulle lace trim. Fabric jackets feature feather textile work, also real rooster feathers. Little mannish shirts have crumpled effects. Black chiffon dresses slip over a pale pink sheath. Satin culottes and bras in bright colors catalyze attention under see-through lingerie-dresses. Tube skirts are made from light shades of leather. Mannish-jacket suits, full skirts and topcoats come in a cotton/silk material that includes an aluminum thread that makes for easy variable crumpling. And the finest evening dresses derive from a reworking of vintage bridal gowns so that they take on skirt or bustier form. Meanwhile, the figure of the lover stands tall on omnipresent mules.” – from N°21
