London’s historic criminal courthouse, the Old Bailey, once again served as a dramatic backdrop for the visionary designs of Simone Rocha. For her Fall presentation, the acclaimed designer drew deep inspiration from an unexpected and storied source: Caravaggio’s long-lost masterpiece, "The Taking of Christ." Alongside this dramatic art-historical reference, the collection was born from Rocha’s personal desire to step back, clear her creative palate, and cast a completely fresh eye on traditional silhouettes that have long defined her aesthetic—namely the slip dress, the baby doll, grand ballgowns, and classic bomber jackets.
Sunday’s showcase also marked a notable milestone for the brand. It was the first time in a considerable period that Rocha presented a dedicated womenswear collection entirely on its own runway. Having recently shown her men’s collection at Pitti Uomo in Florence back in June, Rocha embraced the opportunity to focus exclusively on womenswear, allowing her to approach the garments from a revitalized perspective.
"I wanted it to feel personal, an expression of dress and femininity. I wanted to do something that felt very authentic to me," reflected Rocha backstage. Embracing an exploratory physical process with her materials, she described how she "tucked and touched and pushed" her fabrics, pairing and treating them in unconventional, highly creative ways. This tactile experimentation was evident across the runway, where she subverted traditional expectations by mixing sturdy gabardine with delicate tulle to construct a long, commanding coat, layering wispy, ethereal dresses directly over knitted argyle underpants, and transforming floaty strips of washed organza into the convincing, voluminous feathers of decorative boas.
The collection’s atmospheric mood was further amplified by a heavy reliance on the dramatic chiaroscuro color palette found within Caravaggio’s canvas. Rich reds, deep blacks, and striking petrol blues dominated the garments, echoing the intense interplay of light and shadow that defines the Baroque masterpiece. The history of the painting itself played a profound conceptual role in shaping the collection. Previously believed to be permanently lost to the art world, the painting was miraculously rediscovered in 1990 hanging innocuously in the dining room of a Jesuit community house in Dublin. The priests who lived there had casually assumed the canvas was merely a worthless fake, unaware of its true origins; today, the authenticated work rightfully holds a celebrated place on display at the National Gallery of Ireland.
This remarkable story of rediscovery and hidden value inspired Rocha to think about the creation and styling of clothing in an entirely new context, encouraging her to piece together looks instinctively and through unexpected juxtapositions. "I like the borrowing of ideas and embellishment and exchanging with the boys," Rocha noted, pointing to the cross-pollination of gendered wardrobes that she frequently explores. Exemplifying this philosophy, she layered a crisp lavender men’s dress shirt underneath a voluminous, contrasting black-and-coffee-colored ballgown skirt, blending masculine tailoring with hyper-feminine grandeur.
Throughout the presentation, the collection remained rich with these kinds of romantic, cross-cultural garment exchanges. An oversized gray sweater gained an unexpected tactile dimension through a dusting of small white shells meticulously embellished across the front. Meanwhile, a sheer shift dress carrying distinct 1930s undertones felt wonderfully softened and less stark thanks to delicate, intricate embroidery gracing the front panel. Luscious rosettes appeared throughout the lineup, injecting a profound sense of richness and sensuality into everything from deceptively simple white blouses to the low, rounded necklines and backs of baby doll dresses, as well as the structured collars of silky bomber jackets and substantial leather coats.
Ultimately, Simone Rocha’s latest outing delivered a clear and compelling message to the fashion world: look closely, and then look again. In a landscape often obsessed with constant novelty, her Fall collection served as a reminder that sometimes the most enduring classics simply need to be re-framed.
