There’s always a precision to Simone Rocha’s work, whether in the meticulous research into folklore and history that informs her collections, or the technical know-how of her unique hybridized fabrics. Plus, there’s her remarkable ability to make even the most wildly contrasting styles feel harmonious: pairing girlish ribbons and ruffles with BDSM-inflected leather and latex, say, or styling a floaty floral dress with biker boots and a pearl-encrusted choker.
But the appeal of Rocha’s designs is universal—a fact that was visible at the event she hosted within her Wooster Street store on Thursday night to celebrate her latest collaboration with Crocs. (Her fifth, if you can believe it.) She certainly has a multi-generational fanbase: the most fabulous guests included a crew of acolytes in their 60s and 70s gliding into the store, decked out in richly embroidered mutton sleeve coats and shimmering metallic gowns, though the evening’s very best dressed attendee—in my opinion—was a tweenage daughter browsing the racks with her mom, wearing red and black ribbon bows in her hair and a sparkling Rocha crystal brooch on her chest.
Hence the convivial spirit of the event, which welcomed an eclectic mix of editors, stylists, and plenty of those straight-up Simone Rocha superfans. Among the latter was Laila Gohar, who was slicing up cake layered with vanilla butter cream and pointing guests towards a striking platter of raspberries served with fresh cream in a silver gravy boat. Flutes of Champagne were passed around on silver platters as guests brushed their hands across the crystal-studded rubber of those chunky-heeled Crocs.
On which note, it was a reminder that Rocha’s designs are a perfect fit for Monday night’s Met Gala, given its red carpet theme of “Fashion Is Art.” (Nobody does an artist homage quite like Rocha, after all, whether it’s the exquisite spiderweb embroideries inspired by Louise Bourgeois that featured throughout her fall 2019 collection, or those eerie bodysuits printed with paintings by the Irish artist Genieve Figgis she made for spring 2025. If anyone could convince us that fashion is truly art, it would be her.)
The designer herself could be spotted milling about the crowd in a silky black bomber jacket and crystal drop earrings, which inevitably prompted the question: Who, exactly, might be lucky enough to sport a Simone Rocha sartorial confection on Monday night? Well, watch this space.
