Simone Rocha has had a busy 12 months. What with putting together her new collaboration with H&M, completing two new collections for her fashion house, as well as dealing with impending motherhood, the designer has certainly had her hands full. However, if this makes you think that her latest collection would be anything other than focused, then you would be sadly mistaken.
Simone Rocha AW21 is a delight, showcasing a punky, funky biker girl meets ballerina aesthetic with leather jackets and big bold black shoes dominating.
While this perhaps suggests a more rugged and gritty aesthetic, the collection is actually anything but, thanks to an omnipresent floral motif and a profusion of frills, layers, tulle & balloon sleeves.
The result is a radical, rebellious romanticism that is nicely in tune with the gender neutral theme of this month’s London Fashion Week. Rocha has called the collection Winter Roses, in an acknowledgement of the centrality of the floral motif in the collection.
“Fragile rebels. It’s about being very protective and hiding the fragility—then having a flower creeping through the collection. Flowers that then kind of become the dresses” she said in an interview with Vogue.
The new collection was showcased with a film shot at St. John’s Church, Hyde Park. Beginning with a juxtaposition of images of models dressed in Rocha and images of the churches stained glass windows, the film featured a series of elaborated coiffured models strutting through the church in Rocha’s fabulous creations.
The hair was a key element in the new look. Boyish plaits, pigtail braids, bouffant styles – all were given a playful punk twist which perfectly matched Rocha’s edgy and rebellious clothes.
Simone Rocha’s Fall 21 collection presents a punky romanticism which skilfully balances the flower strewn romantic elements of traditional women’s couture with the hard edge grittiness of the biker girl aesthetic.
Finding the sweet spot between the two, Rocha has produced one of the most convincing and compelling collections of the year.
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