MILAN, February 22, 2007 – It was a case of trend overload at Alessandro Dell’Acqua. The show opened with a neoprene parka lined in long-haired fur that suggested he was about to take off in a sporty new direction; also on the sporty side were hyper-fitted puffer jackets that came tucked under or into dresses and skirts constructed from Hervé Léger-esque bandages (which, rather randomly, also accented sweaters and knit vests). But Dell'Acqua was only getting started. There was also a remix of last season’s metallics, which were draped into a goddess minidress…and a dash of futurism, in the form of space-age silver quilting…and don’t forget the designer’s signature lingerie stylings: Cocktail numbers were spliced with lace or veiled with nude chiffon. A few white girdles somehow made it out onto the runway, too.

As is often the case, the most successful pieces were the simplest—say a cocooning gray coat embellished only with elbow patches. The designer—who took his bow to Pat Benatar's Love Is a Battlefield—clearly had the new eighties power babe in mind, and the collection did tap into this season's tough-chic vibe. The trouble is, he seemed to take his ideas from every place but his own imagination to get there.

– Nicole Phelps