The Rochas collection for resort 2016 oozes impalpable grace. Inspired by the unique personality and the elegant stubbornness of dancer extraordinaire Margot Fonteyn, who was a prima ballerina for an entire lifetime, Alessandro Dell’Acqua balances the easy and the unexpected. Dance inspires both the lightness of the materials and the spirited freedom with which everything is combined. The silhouette is airy and modest. The body, barely touched, can be nonetheless perceived under fluid, airy dresses: the waist is cut high, hems stop below the knee, suggesting a certain properness, or timidity. The tension of the masculine and the feminine creates nuance: a mannish cashmere pullover is worn over a frilly skirt, while frills run over simple blouses.

A gingham apron dress swipes the floor. Lazy and languid, the pajama is a dreamy suit.Surfaces are alive: rich in applications and intensely worked with inlays and ajour, they dematerialize into transparency, modulating shadows. Georgette, chiffon, duchess, taffetas mikado draw a grammar of pure preciousness. Ginghams, dots and checks are transmogrified from the men’s repertoire onto precious couture ultra feminine textures. Delicate nuances of baby pink, white, cream and powder are accented with flashed of mustard yellow and black. Embroideries in ballerina motif on silk duchesse. Accessories add a sensual touch: pumps and embroidered slides are insouciantly worn on bare feet, suggesting a different side to this delicate personality. The precious heritage and the exquisitely Parisian iconography of Rochas is evolving nonchalantly contemporary.

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