“It was Very Personal and Very Human”: Simone Rocha on Her Fall 2019 Show
“She put herself into it, and I wanted to do the same,” said Simone Rocha after her poignant Fall 2019 show. The she in question was Rocha’s longtime—and quite long-distance, at least metaphysically speaking—muse, Louise Bourgeois. Inspired by the artist’s Fabric Works, made by stitching remnants of her own clothing together, Rocha sought to imbue her garments with a sense of the intimate and personal. Embroideries were everywhere, from the beaded bustline of a sheer dress to the winding patterns on shoes, while one of Bourgeois’s radiant-circle motifs appeared throughout on pieces that concealed or revealed the female form.
Rocha’s forms this season were her best yet. Taking this idea of putting the personal into the sartorial to the extreme, the designer cast her friends and collaborators to walk the runway. “I really wanted to have it on many human bodies and to have all these wonderful friends of mine come and walk, people who I feel very connected to,” said Rocha, name checking Lily Cole, Chloë Sevigny, and Kirsten Owen. “It was really important to me to have it with these women that are very inspiring.”
Hair stylist James Pecis gave some models Bourgeois-inspired swoops and rolls; for others he created a sharp wave at the back of the head. Makeup artist Sam Bryant treated nine muses to a blackened crimson lip, leaving the rest glowing with a touch of highlight on the cheeks. As for Rocha, she sported a white silk dress with plenty of barrettes in her hair, running to and fro backstage, blending right in with her models.
It was plain to see there’s a little bit of Simone in every look. “Blood, sweat, and tears,” she smirked.
