No 21 A/W 2014

Room full of people and three female models wearing looks from No 21's collection. One model is wearing a light brown jumper, semi-sheer peach skirt and dark green embellished coat. Next to her is a model wearing a dark green jumper with embellishment by the shoulder and a black semi-sheer skirt. The last model is wearing a multicoloured sequin piece — (Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

At first glance, the micro sequins that were ablaze in iridescent turquoise and cherry red on the No. 21 runway seemed to shout 'Disco Ball' in capital letters. But Alessandro Dell'Acqua's collection was light years away from any cheesy light show-esque dance floor. Dell'Acqua sits firmly in the fashion school of thought that teams the girlish with the boyish, the decorative with the sober, and the kooky with the calm. It's the fashion equivalent of topping a slice of multi-grain whole wheat bread with chocolate frosting and devouring it all in one bite. This season he tempered the eye-busting bling with homely flat shoes and camel hair sweaters that were as cosy as anything your grandpa used to wear. Cut into mannish - and sometimes shapeless - silhouettes, all of the fire that could have potentially exploded from those glittering mini crystals was promptly extinguished. What was left was a runway full of covetable pieces to fill a woman's wardrobe next fall and a modern vision of magically quiet beauty.

Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans

Three female models wearing looks from No 21's collection. One model is wearing a multicoloured sequin piece. Next to her is a model wearing a dark brown and blue embellished piece. The third model is wearing a green coat and dark coloured backpack with embellished straps

Three female models wearing looks from No 21's collection. One model is wearing a multicoloured sequin piece. Next to her is a model wearing a light cream top with dark spots and multicoloured sequin bottoms. And the third model is wearing a brown fur coat and dark coloured backpack with embellished straps

Five female models wearing looks from No 21's collection. One model is wearing a multicoloured sequin piece. Next to her is a model wearing a dark green zip cardigan and grey patterned bottoms. The third model is wearing a dark brown and blue embellished piece. The fourth model is wearing a dark green coat and dark coloured backpack with embellished straps. And the fifth model is wearing a dual coloured shaggy jacket

Two side-by-side photos of female models wearing looks from No 21's collection. In the first photo there is a model wearing a brown and white cow print coat. Next to her is another model wearing a brown piece, multicoloured sequin bottoms and she is holding a brown and white cow print bag. In the second photo there is a model wearing a long black embellished dress and flat black shoes. Next to her is another model wearing a black top with light coloured floral pattern, a semi-sheer skirt and flat black pointed shoes

JJ Martin