The bow is not just a decorative detail. It can be a gesture of refined essentiality, an ornamental touch or, when taken to the extreme, a style statement. In N21’s Fall-Winter 2025-26 collection, the bow becomes a true hallmark: it crosses shapes, volumes and lines, revealing new interpretations of femininity and design.
The inspiration: three films, one aesthetic
For Alessandro Dell’Acqua, creative director of N21, the bow is a bold element, capable of subverting linearity and creating that unexpected charm that captures the eye. Hence the collection, inspired by three masterpieces by Sofia Coppola: Lost in Translation, The Garden of Virgin Suicides and Marie Antoinette.
- From the first, she takes the essentiality of the cuts and the timeless charm of petite robe noire.
- From the second, the sensuality of transparencies, the play between masculine and feminine, between lightness and structure.
- From the third, the playfulness of colors, pastel but decisive, in a celebration of unconventional elegance.
Three suggestions that merge into a unique tale, where the bow becomes the thread of emotions more than just stylistic differences.
The collection: a dialogue between structure and movement
Sartorial cleanliness meets hyper-feminine details in an alternation of shapes and materials. The classic felted wool coat, doubled in neoprene, opens in a fluid flare that anticipates skirts with similar silhouettes, some in Dalmatian pony skin, others in technical fabrics. Sweaters in neoprene wool stand out for their over sleeves, emphasizing the contrast between minimalism and exaggerated volumes.
Inevitable is the petite robe noire, the absolute protagonist in versions that play with the bow: refined petticoats with adorned empire necklines, chemisier dresses with Victorian embroidery or models with bare shoulders, closed with a dramatic bow. Crepe suits are reinvented with trumpet pants and tops with shaved feather ruffs, or in suits with Prince of Wales skirts and bustiers closed by monumental bows.
Light and heavy meet in fascinating contrasts: voluminous cabans juxtaposed with organza skirts with feather ruffles, cool wool overcoats with masculine cotton linings, impalpable organza dresses next to razmir models with sharp cuts and structured silhouettes. Bold combinations include the chiffon fourreau covered in micro-rose lingerie, strictly pink, paired with a gold lurex sweater.
Sparkling details and unexpected touches round out the proposal: leather bows, shiny and printed sequins, knit bomber jackets with masculine shirts, cardigans over satin duchesse skirts, leopard-print tops with maxi-bows, and even a faux fur Montgomery.
The accessories: minimal but decisive
Absolute essentiality. Shoes come in ultra-sophisticated versions: sabots in pastel satin, black and gold, wrapped in multi-studs, or sling-backs and ballet flats in the same materials. Bags focus on sharp geometries and metallic closures, declined in printed crocodile, patent leather, ecofur and leather in shades of black and pastels.
N21 rewrites the code of contemporary femininity with a collection that is a refined game of contrasts, volumes and precious details. The bow is not just an accessory, but a symbol of aesthetic expression, capable of reinventing itself in a thousand forms and meanings.
