Simone Rocha AW14

Initial reaction: 

Subverting Elizabethan codes of dress in faux fur, PVC and yellow snakeskin.

Simone Rocha on grounding femininity: 

“I wanted to explore femininity, but in a restricted way. The focus was on the hips and the heart. I was looking at the 1600s and Anne Boleyn – there was such strength in that period. Even with the men and their armour. I wanted to bring that toughness and that military feeling in to ground all the femininity. This season, it was so exciting for me to make these new silhouettes and play with new feelings.“

In the details: 

Messy platted cornrows, Gold foil smudged across the model’s foreheads and pearl chokers. This was the second season Rocha’s experimented with accessories and sent an array of pony fur and snakeskin structured doctor bags down the runway.

The bigger picture: 

For a designer so early on in her career, she’s built such powerful codes that continue to ground each collection. From the transparent Perspex that appeared in her graduate show, to her play with fabrication – which re-appeared in the form of lace, pony skin and metallics this season – Rocha takes her house codes and runs with them.

Shapeshifter: 

This season Rocha switched up her silhouettes to new, dynamic proportions and added tartan to her deft and modern ways with heritage fabrics. Taking elements of the exaggerated silhouettes that defined the Elizabethan era, Rocha transformed these details through a restrained and youthful lens. Fabric was slit away at the hips, and lace ruffs replaced with subtle gold embellishments.