‘You make romantic things and then you have a baby,’ Simone Rocha said backstage after her AW16 show, explaining her creative process during the past six months. The first-time mother showed a haunting collection in a small gilded room in Lancaster House. Here, the key takeaways from the night. 

1) Rough and soft

You’ll most likely be seeing a lot of tweed in stores next fall, it's everywhere this runway season. And Simone breathed fresh life into your grandfather’s favourite fabric by cleverly layering tweed coats over and under glittery sheer dresses. Simone explained that she was looking at the tension between the ‘strict’ and ‘feminine,’ and while this contrast isn’t necessarily new it’s become an idea that Simone has made wholly her own.

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2) Darkness is spreading

You may know Simone Rocha as the woman who stripped pink of its saccharine connotations and made it subversive and cool. But she’s always had a way with black, which provides the counterpoint to the sweetness of her work. This season, her flair for the dark and eerie looks especially of the moment as the idea continues to trend on the runways. But no one quite turns out a hauntingly beautiful Victorian goth punk dress like Simone does. Anyone looking to buy into the look should start here.

3) The shoes

After hitting a tipping point in spring/summer, the pointy-toed, super flat, babouche shape gets bigger and bigger for autumn/winter. Whether or not this catches on IRL on the street remains to be seen, but you shouldn't be short of good options. Simone dressed them up with shaggy, shimmery texture. Impractical, yes, but totally covetable. 

CATWALK IMAGES: REX