Irish fashion designer Simone Rocha showed stuffed animal toys on the catwalk in her overtly glamourous collection at London Fashion Week 2024.
Hot off the start of Haute Couture Week in Paris, where she was a guest designer for Jean Paul Gaultier, Rocha debuted an older aesthetic with an emphasis on oversized shapes.
Her signature style for bows and layers of tulle was present at the show, at the Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great in London, but in a smaller way than we’re used to seeing.
A masterclass in overt romanticism, there was chic tailoring and corsetry with a heavy dose of faux fur – this London Fashion Week was the first where organizers completely banned real fur from the runways. The fabric was seen on coats and as accents on the shoulders and hips.
The Dublin-born designer seems to have used his first Couture Week show as a jumping-off point for this new direction, which features both an underwear-as-outerwear trend and dramatic silhouettes. Her Paris show saw her reimagine Jean Paul Gaultier’s famous bra cone shapes and sheer style, garnering huge praise for paying homage to the label’s history with stripes and sailor hats, while also pushing his own contemporary boundaries.
The legendary French designer launched the initiative to showcase guest designers when he announced his retirement in January 2020 – Rocha is the sixth person to be invited.
London’s collection is a playful approach to formal wear – hints of humor are presented in toys (or possibly bags) that don’t identify with any particular animal.
Rocha’s collaboration with Crocs was also strong on the runway – the controversial shoes were heavily embellished with pearls and sparkles, a theme that ran throughout the collection.
Some models were sent down the church runway in hoods with strange peaks, and ribbons were used as large earrings. Using ribbons in unusual ways seems to be a theme for the Irish designer – his AW23 collection saw them used as make-up, stuck to models’ eyes.
Celebrities flocked to the front row to watch Rocha’s latest offering, including Irish actor Andrew Scott, Euphoria star Maude Apatow – who wore a dramatic black dress and clutched one of the exotic animal toys – styled star Alexa Chung and singer Griff.
Some fashion fans have compared her collection to the clothes worn by Bella Baxtor, Emma Stone’s character in the 19th century Yorgos Lanthimos film. Poor creatures.
A soundtrack of All people by Irish singer-songwriter Grian Chatten matched the mysterious, ethereal vibe, and the austere location was the perfect backdrop for a show that received a well-deserved standing ovation.
