I didn't really want to title this post with a naff band name from the early noughties that covered Silk tracks and called it their own, but all I could really say yesterday, over and who again was "That was AnOther Level!!!" I am of course speaking in reference to Simone Rocha, which in amongst a slew of brilliant things I saw yesterday, did manage to surpass the rest just because it was her on-schedule debut (discounting her shows with Fashion East) and quite literally took everyone's breath away. There was a rollercoaster giddiness felt after the show because you were so excited to witness the rise of yet another London duckling that only added to the hub-hub over LFW (I've just added yet another shoutout of "LFW is so great" to the chorus of articles in the latest isssue of Pop).
It was somewhat of an inevitability. Her off-schedule show had people in raptures and forevermore, the contrast between white lace trapped in kinky clear PVC stamped Rocha as someone who knows a thing or two about texture games. She didn't disappoint for her A/W 12-3 collection and refined her aesthetic even more, so much so that her MA collection seemed like a distant memory. You forget, that she's only really been four seasons in. She upped the tactability factor by looking at tribes of Papua New Guinea and then 1930s street urchin children of her native Dublin. I'm also reminded of Irish photographer Niall O'Brien's Good Rats series that depics street tribes at their most quiet and strangely beautiful. It's this mix of regal and untamed that underscores the collection. Slick mirror leather is the hard counterpart to the soft fluffy wool knit collar. A spotty print hide or sheeny shiny black ponyskin has a wildness to it that is coaxed back to elegance in a boxy oversized coat. PVC gets an burst of tufted yarns that could be likened to Papupa New Guinea tribal costume. The ladylike connotations of Melton and Linton tweed (oft used by Chanel) gets a layering of tulle to form a barrier of refinement. It's as if Rocha knows exactly when materials start looking cliched and banal and has the ability to stop them from doing so, with the wave of her texture-driven magic wand.
It's this precise knack for contrast and balance that got female hearts racing in the audience. I came away wanting to dress head to toe and submerse myself completely in Rocha's work. That's a hard feat for someone who craves the mix n' match.
In the shoe department, Rocha has long displayed a maturity that is beyond her years. The idea of working perspex into a brogue has the potential for becoming a design classic, as recognisable as Hussein Chalayan's wooden table skirt or Issey Miyake's Pleats Please technique. Rocha went for a pure stable of flat brogues and pumps and the perspex became a thin accent embedded in the sole, shining in clear, lime or coral. With two pairs of Simone Rocha's already in the closet, it invariably means that I'll now have to go the whole hog and continue that tradition with this season. That's no hardship considering the choice at hand.
This is awesome collection. Looks like it’s been a great party ever. I love this blog and I often come back to read some fashion news. Good work.
The variety of textures is so interesting. And those shoes look so “you”!
http://matchalattewardrobe.blogspot.com
Awwwwwww i love and want it all ‚ô°
http://dontthinkjustfeel-yuka.blogspot.com/
I love the fact that you and your camera spoil us with so delicate details such as the textures!
We can’t see things like that neither in Style.com nor elsewhere.
PLUS, loved the shoes!
London is a bit of a champion of the ugly but conceptual shoe, is’nt it? And yet you manage to find the one shoe from LFW that I would jam my broad flat foot into if it kills me. I love how your eye works – it’s just drawn to the edgiest, yet most infinitely wearable details. What are the bets those mohair-trimmed collars are going to be knocked off by lots of even more famous designers and the high street soon.
The collar details on the blouses are a-mazing!! Love love love!!!
Suzi x
For the Love of Audrey
Gorgeous shots!
http://www.thepursesnatcher.net
Play on textures, prints, form- my absolute loves! Love the end results. Very contemporary, chic and wearable.
Great collection ! It looks like a princess from a Cold Kingdom who shows the outfits she is usually wear diary.
http://www.younglington.wordpress.com
i seriously want every single outfit. am a big fan of her – and her father, too, by the way. don’t understand why he never really received the attention he deserves.
absolutely lovely!! i will take all of those shoes, PLEASE
http://www.palepepper.blogspot.com
What a phantastic fashion! The shoes are new and perfect and a lovely and sexy alternative to highheels
OMG! You saw Simone Roche! I am so jellous I have literally fallen in love with her work! It is beuatifully made and the colour choice is brilliant! My favorite has got to be the yellow top and skirt it is absolutely beautiful!
Those black & cream loathers are #chictothenextlev !!!
I’ve published my third post at my first ever, shiny brand new blog at http://www.offdutychic.com have a look & let me know what you think…
What a beautiful collection, I adore all the collars http://janealisa.tumblr.com
this is all so gorgeous! i love the metallic
I love these pictures. Instead of the one picture from the show this up-close and intimate look of the pieces tells a more personal story of the clothes (and accessories). Great job
Beautiful collection. I wasn’t very impressed when I saw the photos on Style.com but the images here are so much more pleasant and really highlight the clothing. You can really see the quality of workmanship and the beautiful fabric. Plus I love those shoes! I would die for a pair.
I love your pictures better than Style.com’s! That neon sweater is amazing, and I can see the details of the shoes much better.
http://thechicaddict.blogspot.com
ver nice! ive seen you at HoH show
Whoa! I am simply in love<3
alexandra
shoependant.blogspot.com
The sheer materials mixed with other materials is really well done. It’s so hard to use sheer as anything more than an accessory to an ensemble, but Rocha obviously spent a lot of time and talent ensuring that the sheer was balanced perfectly with all the other elements. Such an expert. Lovely.
The collection is huge and trendy..Each one has its own style and look. i like all the designs
I’m a sucker for prints and colour too, but these make me speechless. Lovely and edgy.
Great photos!
I SAW THE COLLECTION AT SOMERSET HOUSE AND IT´S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!
HE¬¥S A GENIUS…
MY PICS OF LONDON FASHION WEEK HERE:
http://etralalondon.blogspot.com/
this is all so gorgeous! i love the metallic. Instead of the one picture from the show this up-close and intimate look of the pieces tells a more personal story of the clothes. I will continue noticing your blog!
http://www.hollisterco.me.uk/
Susie. Question.
Are Simone Rocha’s shoes comfortable?