There’s a short story by surrealist painter Leonora Carrington, The Debutante, in which a teenage girl frees a hyena from the zoo so that it can replace her at the debutante’s ball. She dresses the hyena up in a gown and heels, in order to escape the ordeal herself. In essence, it’s a tale about being on the cusp of womanhood but pushing against societal expectations – the very theme of Simone Rocha’s SS26 show, held yesterday (September 21) at Mansion House.
Photography Morgane Maurice
