Simone Rocha A/W 2019 London Fashion Week Women's
Mood board: Since Simone Rocha presented her first collection during London Fashion Week in 2010, the designer has been lauded for cultivating an aesthetic that combines the girlish with the gothic, the romantic with the quietly rebellious. Louise Bourgeois, and her powerful interpretations of femininity – explored in artworks such as the 1946-47 painting series Femme Maison – has long inspired the designer. Bourgeois’ artworks are found in Rocha’s New York City store, and last February she created an imagined working uniform for the artist.
At an earlier stage in her life Bourgeois was known to wear blue clothing when she felt melancholic and pink when she felt happy, and these tones featured more notably than usual in Rocha’s collection, in shapes like pretty puffball dresses and opera coats. Bourgeois’ deeply personal sculptures also often featured an array of undergarments and so here gauzy dresses with fleshy layers had a nuance of négligée, while in a new take on styling, silk bra tops were layered over Rocha’s signature dresses and coats.
Best in show: A series of colourful graphic prints recalled the abstract octagonal forms Bourgeois outlined on the female figure in her 2002 fabric sculpture The Woven Child and her 2006 fabric book ‘Dawn’.
Team work: The diverse casting in the show was stellar, and post event, Instagram was awash with images of Rocha’s models walking in the runway finale. Catwalk veterans Chloë Sevigny, Jade Parfitt and Lily Cole all walked the catwalk, as did the cherubic rising talent Tess McMillan.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Shigeru Ban’s mini Paper Log House welcomed at The Glass House
'Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House' is shown at The Glass House in New Canaan, USA as the house museum of American architect Philip Johnson plays host to the Japanese architect’s model temporary home concept
By Adrian Madlener Published
-
Artist Mickalene Thomas wrestles with notions of Black beauty, female empowerment and love
'Mickalene Thomas: All About Love’, a touring exhibition, considers Black female representation
By Hannah Silver Published
-
New Phaidon book celebrates the world's best designers
Designed for Life: The World’s Best Product Designers by Phaidon celebrates the rich contemporary landscape of product design
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Margaret Howell London Fashion Week Women's S/S 2019
By Dal Chodha Published
-
London Fashion Week S/S 2023: Ahluwalia to Martine Rose
Though 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
By Jack Moss Last updated
-
Discover these fashion brands at London Craft Week
During London Craft Week, fashion brands including Smythson, Bally and Serapian are hosting events across the capital
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Nicholas Daley's multicultural roots celebrated in London
By Laura Hawkins Last updated
-
V&A spotlights the sartorial and social significance of the kimono
For the latest endeavour of London's Victoria and Albert Museum, Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk explores the evolution of the iconic Japanese garment
By Grace Cook Last updated
-
Erdem A/W 2020 London Fashion Week Women's
By Laura Hawkins Last updated
-
Christopher Kane A/W 2020 London Fashion Week Women's
By Laura Hawkins Last updated
-
Burberry A/W 2020 London Fashion Week Women's
By Laura Hawkins Last updated