Seated within the church of St Andrew Holborn for Simone Rocha's spring show we awaited a final awakening to congenially conclude the London collections. Yet, in spite of the scriptural setting, the young designer steered clear of religious riddles and instead presented a Rocha evolution, signposted by the introduction of floral print and fur trimmings. In previous seasons Rocha’s detailing du jour has ranged from white pearls to amber beading. For spring, she spliced her undulating, curved hemlines with ‘fluff’ (as she deemed it) that kept her more ethereal looks on the right side of edgy. Transparent watered silk tailoring in noir and apricot got a similar treatment, as did her kitten-heeled brogues – tufts sprouting around each shoe’s sole like street sweepers. And then to keep us on our toes, ruby red ‘mad flower’ dresses signalled a frenzied floral explosion. Pale pink organza was embroidered with 3D scarlet flowers, while blooms of guipure (hands down the lace of the season) were scattered around sheer black and white shifts and trenches. Picking up where her fur fringing left off, scalloped lace was similarly inserted into translucent panelled dress seams, as skirt volumes once again expanded to ethereal, Elizabethan proportions.
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
