Strong warrior queens dominated Simone Rocha’s fall collection, but it’s clear the designer was in a gentler, more poetic mood for spring. And while some of her designs spoke softly, the collection, which took its cues from the dancer Pina Bausch, was a clear evolution of Rocha’s sweetly subversive, feminine aesthetic. With an ornate, Sir Christopher Wren-designed Anglican church as her backdrop, the designer played with fabrics that revealed and concealed the body. Designs in delicate sheer pink or peach tulle — such as a transparent pink trenchcoat — contrasted with others in dense, rich-looking fabrics.
One off-the-shoulder dress with an asymmetric hem was done in a textured black cloque, while another full-skirted dress came in a shimmery gold and silver brocade. Florals with a youthful spirit were another motif that wound their way through the collection in the form of naïve-art-inspired embroidered red silk flowers on a sheer pink tulle dress and hand-crocheted white daisies on a white net shift. A red Neoprene dress, meanwhile, was printed with a vintage-looking rose-and-peony pattern and stitched with 3-D flowers.
Rocha also offered a broader range of silhouettes this season, ranging from girlish dresses with full, stiff skirts to more sophisticated shapes, such as knee-length shift dresses in black silk and sheer peach tulle. And the designer’s signature fun touches added a charming air — dresses and shoes were edged with marabou feathers while her trademark heavy, Perspex-heel brogues lent the pretty dresses an edge.