Simone Rocha Spring 2027: Master Stroke

by · WWD
Simone Rocha Spring 2027 Ready-to-Wear Collection at London Fashion WeekGiovanni Giannoni/WWD

Simone Rocha returned to the Old Bailey, London’s historic criminal courthouse, for a show inspired by Caravaggio’s long lost masterpiece “The Taking of Christ” and her own desire to step back and cast fresh eyes on traditional silhouettes — the slip dress, the baby doll, ballgowns and bomber jackets.

Sunday’s show was also the first time in a while that Rocha presented womenswear alone on the runway, having shown her men’s collection at Pitti Uomo in June. She enjoyed focusing on womenswear alone, and looked at the clothes from a fresh perspective.

“I wanted it to feel personal, an expression of dress and femininity. I wanted to do something that felt very authentic to me,” said Rocha. She “tucked and touched and pushed,” her fabrics, pairing and treating them in unexpected ways. She mixed gabardine and tulle for a long coat, layered wispy dresses over knitted argyle underpants, and turned floaty strips of washed organza into the feathers for boas.

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Rocha also drew heavily on the painting’s chiaroscuro palette of rich reds, black and petrol blue, and on the history of the work. Previously thought to be lost, the painting was rediscovered in 1990 hanging in the dining room of a Jesuit community house in Dublin. The painting, which the priests had assumed was a fake, is now on display at the National Gallery of Ireland.

The painting’s story inspired Rocha to think of clothing in a new context, putting together looks instinctively, and in unexpected ways. “I like the borrowing of ideas and embellishment and exchanging with the boys,” said Rocha, who layered a lavender men’s dress shirt over a black-and-coffee colored ballgown skirt.

The collection was full of those romantic exchanges. An oversized gray sweater was embellished with small white shells at the front, while a sheer shift dress with a 1930s felt less stark with delicate embroidery at the front. Luscious rosettes added richness and sensuality to everything from simple white blouses to the low, rounded necklines — or backs — of baby doll dresses and the collars of silky bomber jackets and leather coats.

Rocha’s message? Look, and then look again. Sometimes the classics just need re-framing.

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