An exploration of “gentle contrasts” landed the latest No. 21 men’s collection in hybrid territory, where casualwear was reinterpreted with a dressy attitude and mannish designs were sprinkled with a dash of eccentricity.
“When I started working on this collection I had two needs,” said the brand’s founder and creative director Alessandro Dell’Acqua. “On one hand, I felt the urge to give male representation a greater sense of gentleness, to be conveyed through clothes; on the other, I wanted to do so by highlighting the contrasts that different pieces of a wardrobe can create if they coexist at the same time, on the same person.”
In the concise collection, such a play of juxtapositions was expressed by boiler suits worn over crisp shirts and ties, tailored pieces mingling with fleece cargo pants and tracksuits reworked in mannish checkered patterns or crafted from faux leather with Neoprene finishes.
While cotton overcoats with quilted linings and baggy chino pants added to the workwear part of the lineup, other masculine staples were updated with unexpected touches, as seen in check shirts punctuated with dazzling beads and hot fix details or hoodies layered with chiffon.
Such interventions created a bridge between this men’s collection and the brand’s women’s pre-fall 2024 lineup that also was presented. Aiming to further strengthen the cohesiveness between the two propositions, Dell’Acqua also borrowed women’s crepe de chine shirts with lace inserts to add a dab of delicacy in the men’s range, and reworked basques in cotton to mimic the effect of T-shirts peeking underneath knitted polos and cardigans.
Kooky beanie hats with feathers accessorized the sportier looks, evoking the nonchalant coolness of Jamiroquai’s frontman Jason Kay and further highlighting the overall ‘90s vibe oozing from this fuss-free collection.
