Simone Rocha Spring 2025 Ready-to-Wear Runway, Fashion Show & Collection Review: Swanning Around

Simone Rocha conjured a dreamy, slightly melancholy world of ballet dancers in their private time, wrapping up warmly on their way to and from the studio; dressing for rehearsals, and taking a bow as the flowers land on stage, and at their tired feet.

It was a pivotal collection for Rocha, who deflated her signature billowing silhouettes, swapping them for soft, sometimes shiny layers of fabric and knits in a palette that ranged from muted pink to blood red and black – just like those strange, rare swans.

“When I’m designing, I can end up finding security in the cloth and going into extreme volumes and proportions. Now I’ve been thinking, ‘What is underneath? If you crack that open, what’s inside?’” said Rocha, who described this collection as “a bit more intimate, interesting, and playful.”

The volume here was in the tutus, which Rocha paired with long, slashed coats with ties at the back, long sheer dresses or taffeta tops. Volume also came in the shape of carnations, which were stuffed inside the bodices of diaphanous dresses or pinned to the front of delicate jackets and trench coats.

Those carnations were inspired by one of Pina Bausch’s most famous works, “Nelken,” which was named after the flower, and they bloomed across the collection. They came as sparkling embellishments on the collar of an oversize white shirtdress; on leotard-style tops; cozy knee-socks, and sweaters.

Rocha’s simpler, unadorned pieces were just as rich, and included a long, draped silk dress the color of a tea stain; a creamy pink satin anorak, and fine-gauge underwear, tights, and socks with a café au lait tinge.

What will the Rocha devotees think? Will they let go of her big volumes and proportions? Time will tell, but one thing is for sure: In dialing down those volumes, and focusing on the inner layers, Rocha has opened her brand to a new audience, perhaps one that has been waiting for this spare and more subtle moment.

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