London Fashion Week: John Rocha
Hilary Alexander reviews John Rocha's latest autumn/winter 09/10 collection at London Fashion Week...
For next season, John Rocha blended his craftsman touches and organic silhouettes with a new contoured silhouette, egg-shaped and curving, which lent new emphasis to the silhouette.
He opened with his familiar black, with tailored suits, coats and dresses which had a slight nod to Dior’s “New Look” of 1947, nipping-in at the waist, and then exaggerating the hips with extended peplums, padding, pockets and gathered details.
Linton tweeds, in black and white and lacquered checks, were used for fitted, collarless jackets, detailed with tweed ruffles – a technique which was repeated in the matching, ‘bubble’ skirts, in little knickers and even in a one-piece maillot.
Elsewhere the line was freer with either a dropped waist or a raised waist for innocent dresses in a mix of stretch tulle and chiffon, often tiered and piped in velvet, and featuring detachable rounded collars which took the place of a necklace. Similarly, detachable, tiered aprons worked as either skirts or bustles on slimmer skirts and egg-shaped trousers.
From black, the colour scheme jumped to a vibrant red, to metallics and to a more subtle, seashell pink. Cashmere sweaters, with exaggerated, pointed shoulders, came with tiered organza skirts. Gold and silver A-line dresses with cap-sleeves, were gathered or softly pleated on the shoulders, and accessorised with padded headbands, and sometimes worn over full bloomers.
The mix of fabrics and textures was at its best in below-the-knee, smock dresses, in a swingy mix of tiered and hooped velvet, organza, chiffon and felt, often topped with shearling shrugs.
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