Queen Victoria Comes Back to Life at Simone Rocha FW24
The designer completed her three-part series at London Fashion Week while revealing her second Crocs collaboration with pearled embellishments.
Irish designer Simone Rocha has a moody, dark, and sinister design language. The Jean Paul Gaultier alumni and recently-established couturier is affirmed as one of the greats, becoming Gaultier’s guest designer for Spring/Summer 2024. Rocha has a story to tell and shows no signs of slowing down when returning to London Fashion Week for Fall/Winter 2024.
Her three-part series began with SS24’s “The Dress Rehearsal” — a declaration of love through romantic and daring dollhouse motifs. Gaultier’s “The Procession” singled part two, closing the cycle with her latest offering, “The Wake.”
Historic venues have become home to Rocha’s feminine collections as she welcomed industry guests to London’s Anglican church, St Bartholomew the Great. The religious site, founded in 1123, bursts at the seams with disheveled brick mountings. The designer’s FW24 collection fittingly explored Queen Victoria’s mourning dress, bringing her back to life through flamboyant attire with theatrical undertones. Britain’s golden era defined her 63-year reign, reflected across 50 delicate looks that ooze with desire.
The British monarchy is reborn across dainty textiles and bedazzled details, glimpsing sheer finishes peek at the skin beneath. Puffed gowns with tulle trimmings were manipulated with tightened corsets acquainted with 17th-century dress, while the designer’s signature ribbons grew larger than life on extravagant tracksuits and draped fur coats. Costume-esque gowns were escorted by plush animals that doubled as handbags, while rhinestone-encrusted hoods uneasily bloomed from collared knitwear. The menswear division was equally extravagant, balancing the female gaze through confident looks drenched in black tones. Rocha revealed her second Crocs collaboration on the runway, decorating the platformed Classic Clog with oversized pearls, faux diamonds, and fur crops.
Take a closer look at Simone Rocha’s FW24 collection in the gallery above, and stay tuned for more London Fashion Week content on Hypebeast.
