Simone Rocha Presents Her Haunting Greatest Hits at London Fashion Week
Applause floated over the loudspeakers inside London’s historic Central Criminal Court of England and Wales to mark the beginning of Simone Rocha’s spring 2025 show. The first model to hit the runway was dressed completely in black, with double crystal barrettes in her hair and a pair of silky pink ballet flats on her feet, her arms folded across her midsection. She signaled the mood for the rest of the collection: punk-Goth-priestess ballerina, in a manner only Simone Rocha could execute chicly.
Bursts of tulle and tutus dominated the opening looks of the collection. There were see-through, airy fabrics, embroidered crystal flowers on underwear, tall socks covered in rhinestones with loafers, and jeweled collars. Some sweaters and bodysuits bore the haunting image of a grimacing woman from the Genieve Figgis painting Lady with a bird (2013). A mix of classic songs and contemporary music played overhead, including a version of Send in the Clowns sung by Dame Judi Dench and Paul Anka’s I Love You Baby.
The collection was full of the brand’s greatest hits, taken apart and reconstructed into a new era of Simone Rocha fans. Highlights of the collection included the extreme ballerina tutus paired with cutout sweaters and outerwear, some of which were artfully draped over the stiff and dramatic fabric. Taking a page from last season, Rocha put flowers everywhere: under fabrics, exploding from busts, sculptural roses under lightweight tulle. Utilitarian zippered jackets and matching shorts were woven throughout the more feminine and formal collection with an eye on everything oversized. Denim came big and bulky, or done in corseted jackets covered in glittering gems. And there was color: just a few splashes of chartreuse tulle, or raspberry satin.
Of course, the accessories could not be missed. The classic egg-shaped bag morphed into a swan-shaped one; models carried massive, ruffled tulle purses elsewhere. Long crystal earrings trailed down the clothing, and there was plenty of that signature Simone Rocha embellishment, like crystal beaded flowers on baby-pink men’s suiting. Sheer wonders and puff-sleeve gowns were pulled back to reveal undies, a styling trick that spoke deeply to the line between cute and coquettish, one Rocha always walks.
Simone Rocha has never been a brand concerned with meekness or dressing understated, and that ethos was clear in the spring 2025 collection. Simone Rocha fans are not afraid to take up space. Rather, they demand it—through their expansive tutus and large cloaked dresses and coats seen toward the end of the show. The message here was clear: go big, then bigger and bigger, with shape, volume, and personality.
