This season, recent Wallpaper* Design Award winner Simone Rocha shot a rebellious streak into her Elizabethan-inspired collection, once again uniting her unique blend of contemporary cool with stealth-luxe sophistication. On the runway at the Tate Modern, meticulously finished bonded wool coats with engorged ruffled sleeves were finished with encrusted amber beads. These clusters were then extended to the scooping necklines of full-skirted black wool dresses. On one, the tightly beaded clusters continued down to the top of the dress' ruffled skirt, marking out where the era's corset traditionally ended, and would also go on to jewel fawn-hued fur. The thing about Rocha is that she does edgy elegantly, whether it be A/W's black pony skin skirt suits, a bomber of yellow snakeskin - which also covered pointed slippers, lace-up boots and her updated brogue - or gold embellished tartan. One look had ruffles protruding from a tube top, fusing Rocha's innocent schoolgirl and punk anarchist aesthetics. And, as usual, her fabrics were impeccable. A grown-up red mini-crini dress, cut from latticed brushed wool and tulle, was spliced in the middle, with a flash of skin smartly restoring the designer's youth appeal. Her signature high-tech metallic finish was also in the mix, drawn into 'The Tudors' theme by brushing up against a plush fur gilet. Just as many of her queenly models wore a beaded tiara on top of their braided de-wigged hair.
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
-
Bathing is New York’s latest wellness obsession – Lore is making waves in the spaceOpening in NoHo this autumn, bathing club Lore is the hottest (and coldest) new spot for a plunge and sauna
-
Oyster shells and bones become pearl keepsakes in Emma Witter's jewelled itemsEmma Witter turns discarded waste into beautiful objects, currently on show at Gallery Fumi in London
-
Everything you need to know about the 2025 Chicago Architecture BiennialMark your calendars because North America's biggest architecture celebration touches down in the Windy City starting 19 September. Here's what's on
-
Inside Louis Vuitton’s Murakami London pop-up, a colourful cartoon wonderland with one-of-a-kind caféWallpaper* takes a tour of the Louis Vuitton x Murakami pop-up in London’s Soho, which celebrates the launch of a new ‘re-edition’ accessories collection spanning the greatest hits from the Japanese artist’s long-running collaboration with the house
-
Get to know Issey Miyake’s innovative A-POC ABLE line as it arrives in the UKAs A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake launches in London this week, designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae gives Wallpaper* the lowdown on the experimental Issey Miyake offshoot
-
Margaret Howell London Fashion Week Women's S/S 2019 -
London Fashion Week S/S 2023: Ahluwalia to Martine RoseThough slimmed-down, London Fashion Week nonetheless provided the moments of creative expression the city is known for – from Ahluwalia’s ode to Africa to Martine Rose’s much-anticipated runway return
-
Discover these fashion brands at London Craft WeekDuring London Craft Week, fashion brands including Smythson, Bally and Serapian are hosting events across the capital
-
London Fashion Week S/S 2022: eight important insights to know nowFashion brands are back with a bang in The Big Smoke. Here’s everything you need to know from London Fashion Week S/S 2022
-
Nicholas Daley's multicultural roots celebrated in London -
London Fashion Week A/W 2021: the future of post-pandemic dressingLondon Fashion Week's first digial only-offering imagined a wardrobe for life after lockdown, by brands including Burberry, Simone Rocha and Priya Ahluwalia
