Simone Rocha staged her spring-summer 2024 show in the rehearsal space at the English National Ballet. “I love the rise and fall of doing a show,” she said. “Sometimes it’s a big spectacle, sometimes it really brings people in.” By shows, she also had wedding ceremonies on her mind. The cake-inspired tiers of appliqué on white tulle dresses and the sound of silver “wedding” bells tinkling on slippers, sleeves and bags. “It’s almost fragmented,” the designer said of Frederic Sanchez’s music for the show. “It’s that disturbed feeling, all the emotions of a rehearsal… the nerves!” Despite the sense of tension Rocha set out to create, there’s little chance of a bride wearing one of these dresses getting cold feet the night before. The show’s highlight: instead of a bride holding a bouquet, fresh roses were bunched between layers of sheer tulle, and fabric versions were manipulated into dresses and jackets. Models carried single stems fashioned from cotton or pearls, and bare legs were decorated with red rose tattoos. As a motif, it was equal parts enchanting and fragrant.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram! By the way, did you know that I’ve started a newsletter called Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe!