MILAN, September 24, 2008
By Nicole Phelps
In a season when nudity is one of the big trends on the runways, it's ironic that Alessandro Dell'Acqua would play the modesty card at La Perla. Replacing the typically racier fare at today's show were tent dresses, peasant blouses, and flaring pants in a seventies-ish vein. "Easy, light, and fresh" were the words bandied about backstage. Not that there weren't lingerie details, but instead of being the main event, black lace was used as a layering piece over an emerald green dress. Broderie anglaise at the bottom of a trapeze coat looked positively sweet; the same goes for a ribbon lace vest and skirt. Other embellishments, like the gold sequins of a loose tank or the jewel-encrusted bodices of one-shoulder evening numbers, had more of a disco vibe. The problem was, nothing really separated this seventies revival from the countless others that have come before. You'd like to see La Perla capitalize on the technical fabrics and innovations of its lingerie business and apply them to a little black dress, say, or a pair of fitted pants—that would be more up-to-date.
