Welcome to Cult Closet. This season, we talked to Fashion Month show-goers in New York, London, and Paris about the brands whose aesthetics define them to find out what makes it worth going all in on one look.
No one does femininity in fashion like Simone Rocha. Over the last 15 years, the Irish designer has risen to fame for her unmistakable aesthetic that juxtaposes playful fabrics like tulle, fanciful silhouettes like puff sleeves and full skirts, and dainty details like pearls and silk ribbons with edgier elements like harnesses, leather, and chunky platforms. That blend of romance with whimsy and darkness weaves through not only all her collections but also collaborations, which have ranged from Crocs (and included the coolest rubber clogs created to date!) to Jean Paul Gaultier, for whom she served as a guest designer for the Spring/Summer 2024 couture show.
But while each Simone Rocha piece feels like a work of closet art, there is a cohesiveness that spans each collection, with pieces from seasons past seamlessly mixing and matching with more current ones in a way that’s unique to each wearer. Nowhere is that more apparent than outside the shows, typically presented during London Fashion Week, which sees fashion insiders, editors, and buyers dressed in their Simone Rocha best.
Ahead of the Fall 2025 show — which saw Alexa Chung, Bel Powley, Andrea Riseborough, and Fiona Shaw modeling, and was inspired by the story of the tortoise and the hare which translated to pearl bags (a SR signature) in the shape of turtles and faux fur rabbit scarves (that will be made into handbags come fall) — we chatted with the attendees about what they love about the brand, Simone Rocha aesthetic, and attending the show.
“I love the quirkiness and very feminine look. I love all the tutus, I love all the layering. I layer everything so I really like Simone Rocha.” — Barbara Contini (left)
“Simone Rocha is very extraordinary, and very bright, and something special.” — Yulia Voronova (middle)
“Simone Rocha’s designs are really comfortable, they wash really well, and they always look great, and everybody comments on them and goes, ‘Where did you get your coat? Where did you get your dress?’” — Chrissie Taylor (right)
“The femininity of it, it’s amazing, it embraces all things female and girly and like your inner girl. [At the shows,] I love the hair, the styling — [stylist]Robbie [Spencer] is a genius.” — Ashlee Barrett-Bourmier
“The mix of hard and soft, spooky and romantic. I am actually wearing my second wedding dress today and restyling it just because Simone Rocha applies to any occasion.” — Mandy Lee
“I love everything about the Simone Rocha aesthetic. I love how she makes the feminine feel powerful — there’s elements of softness but also everything feels like armor but not in an overly masculine way. The theater of the shows [excites me the most]— the music, the space, the grandeur… the poetry.” — Fiona Burgess
“She does femininity in a really empowered way, and it’s sensual but not overtly sexy. [The thing I love most about the shows is the] venues — they’re always municipal buildings or churches or something really proper, and there’s something sinister about putting together a moody show with very bare clothes.” — Linda Cui Zhang
“You can create your own individual with Simone Rocha — she creates her pieces but then it’s up to you how you dress them altogether. It’s a whole spectacle, the whole thing. It’s an experience within itself — it’s not just about the clothes but how she pieces it all together.” — Eliza Lees
“It’s easy to kind of mix and match pieces from various seasons because they all style back together, and you can also pare it down for the everyday. The shows are always quite interesting, there’s always an unexpected element.” — Loko Yu
“I am wearing a Simone Rocha parka and the pearl bag. She makes the bags every year, and I’ve had them for years — I love them.
“I love the entire romantic narrative that Simone Rocha wraps you up in, the storytelling. I always love to tell a story with what I am wearing. For example, I garden so I love when the florals are included. She involves also many things from her Irish heritage and the sea. In her knitwear, there’s always a reference to the sea whether it’s the pearls or the Aran knits that the fishermen used to wear so I love that whole storytelling aspect.” — Jennifer Hoover
“[What I love most about the brand is the] femininity. Simone is all about building her community, so it’s like seeing friends [at the show], wearing the same things. Everyone loves her.” — Katie Ruensumran
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