Simone Rocha.

One of my new favourite designers for 2012 is Simone Rocha, daughter of John Rocha. It is fair to say that you do get to where you are in the industry through people you know, but she truly is talented and comes with her own aesthetic and creative ideas that are highly innovative. Her celebrity clientele includes Lady Gaga who wore one of her SS12 designs on the cover of Elle as well as seeing a showcase of the collection and purchasing many pieces. 

Simone Rochas SS12 collection stood out in the way that it mixed technical materials such as PVC and latex with antique lace and tulles to create these really futuristic-romantic looks fueled by her Irish background and craft . It was immediately snapped up by conceptual boutiques from the capitals of Fashion such as Londons Dover Street Market and Colette in Paris. 

Rochas roots stem back to Central St Martins where her MA graduate collection was equally as inspiring. Her collection took tailoring and injected deconstruction and innovation to produce a brand new take on classic design. Rocha stunned crowds then and has continued to grow in creativity and strength from season to season.

In AW11/12 Rocha took the high street by storm too by collaborating with Topshop on a six piece collection so her intrigued fans could still get the look on a budget. Again, her allude to tailoring was noted with a modern twist. Simone Rocha can be added to the list of those designers who truly lead and aspire to bring something new and interesting to the industry. 

The Olsen's for Elle

Love the styling. The Olsens are two of my biggest fashion icons and their Elle shoot is no exception. Embellishment is key to the looks giving a sense of edgy luxury. So buying this issue tomorrow....

Paris Fashion Week: Tuesday 6th March

The end of Fashion is today and  yesterdayfinished with some of the biggest designers in the industry. All in all, I have been fairly impressed though I don't think I have been as excited as I was when all the SS12 collections came out. With one day to go, hopefully there will be some surprises. 

CHANEL

Lagerfeld was taking inspiration from nature and this time it was all about crystal formations and rocks. This meant whole new proportions for Chanel in this collection. Inspiration from minerals came in the form of shape, embroidery and embellishments. There was a definite darker look to this collection than usual, with Lagerfeld taking us further away from Chanel tradition each time. 

 VALENTINO

Valentino incorporated a kind of folk feel from different traditional dress from various countries. There was Russia, Greece, the oriental etc. There was definitely more of a darker side here as opposed to Valentino's usual softness. Yes, I loved some pieces here but overall I wasn't as in love with this as SS12 or even Pre fall. 

 ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

Burton created some kind of feminine cyber army with this collection. Proportions were completely blown up and weird and wonderful structures created here. Fur has a large element to the show and all different kinds. 

 PACO RABANNE

Paco Rabanne still had the traditional metal allude and futuristic look to it, but the pieces were a lot more wearable than usual. The seventies definitely came in here at some point but perhaps a few pieces were not as youthful as the house usually is. 

Paris Fashion Week: Monday 5th March

CHLOE

Chloe took inspiration from the more casual every day look of say London or New York and mixed it with a sophisticated elegance of Paris. Pastel shades were adopted and used throughout the collection and I particularly enjoyed seeing the textures that were created for the pieces. 

 YVES ST LAURENT

A darker tone was set for YSL with structured, moderate fetish like themes running through the collection. In short, it was an over powering sexual collection with gothic undertones. Leather, chainmails and furs were adopted to create dominating looks. 

STELLA MCCARTNEY

There was a very easy and relaxed feel to Stella McCartneys collection. It was one of the most sports influenced collections of the day with vivid colour and wearable designs. 

Paris Fashion Week: Sunday 4th March

JOHN GALLIANO

The Galliano show as always was highly theatrical. It was kind of a cross between a 1940s feel and Pirates of the Caribbean in my opinion though I'm not sure what the over all look was meant to be. There were some really interesting pieces in there though, particularly in the form of outerwear. It was a great attempt for Bill Gaytten taking on the challenge that is stepping into shoes of one of fashions most eccentric. 

 ANDREW GN

This may not have been one of the most well known designers of the day but it was definitely one of my favourite shows. It was all about luxury and exquisite design and what better way to capture the romantic side of this by being inspired by the Victorians. It definitely had a modern spin on it though and that's what made it so great

GIVENCHY

Givenchy put on a good show though perhaps not up to the same standard as their SS12 designs. Tailoring was key as well as this equestrian kind of feel. At the same time these gothic undertones we've been seeing made an appearance. The evening wear looks really were vamped up with a lingerie kind of feel. There was an edgy sexiness to it. 

Paris Fashion Week: Saturday 3rd March

HAIDER ACKERMANN

Ackermann said himself that this show was meant to be about organic purity but he couldn't help bringing in his signature twists and draping on the silhouettes. Ackermann should be credited for his really sophisticated colour scheme because the way he mixes and puts them together is genius. 

 VIKTOR AND ROLF

Im pretty sure there was an undertone of the gothic and werewolves or something here hence made obvious by the giant moon at the back of the set. Viktor and Rolf as always took very simple shapes but over exaggerated them to make them almost artistic rather than just fashion. 

 CACHAREL

The inspiration behind this collection was meant to be ice crystals hence mainly represented by the choice of colour. There were two decades here, with the 1930s providing inspiration behind coats and jackets then the 1960s coming in for shift dresses and knitwear. The collection was made for a confident woman. 

Paris Fashion Week: Friday 2nd March

LANVIN

The show that stood out the most to me on Friday was Lanvin. Roundness and curves were a starting theme for the structure of each piece in the collection. First came an array of bright and bold structured dresses followed by some embellished numbers and prints. It was all so aesthetically strong and it just had this way of drawing you in and fascinating you. The clothes are something that would look stunning on someone and let them feel edgy at the same time; a great mix. 

 CHRISTIAN DIOR

Dior was always going to be a beautiful and classic show. The problem was that critics were not excited by Gaytten's attempt as compared to Galliano. It was very soft, very much with a ballerina undertone to it. I think people just felt it was too expected. What you cannot deny though is each piece Dior crafts is stunning and elegant no matter how traditional of Dior it may be. Women want to wear these pieces and feel like Princess's

 ISABEL MARANT

Marant too jumped into the Westernwear theme. It was like the modern sexy Cow girl here celebrating the All American girl that Marant has become fascinated by.  Her knit wear looks were still strong and she bought lace and embroidery in creating casual everyday looks. 

Paris Fashion Week: Thursday 1st March

This was definitely one of the best days of the entire lots of Fashion Week and I really couldn't wait to blog about it all. 

BALMAIN

Well, a few blogs ago I decided I must know who the designer was who did Emmanuelle Alts cardigan for a Vogue dinner party and of course it was Balmain. Balmain has this way of taking casual everyday clothing that women desire and making it into something completely exquisite and precious. Elaborate embellishment and embroideries were incorporated into designs and yet it was perfectly wearable. The jackets were the most interesting part of this collection with their masculine bold structures. 

 NINA RICCI

This collection was just rich and chic and I guess there wasn't really a theme going on herem just gorgeous garments that were wearable and would look perfectly stunning. 

BALENCIAGA

We know Balenciaga for going all out and sometimes slightly crazy (in a good way) and this was no exception. This was a very experimental collection and literally went futuristic (Note the jumpers with weird slogans and imagery on them!) The materials and structures were all very strong and hi tech. Many critics have been skeptical about the collection but at least Balenciaga continues to take risks and push boundaries and who knows, maybe someone eccentric can style it up perfectly !

Paris Fashion Week: Wednesday 29th February

Today was the pick of the weird and wonderful!

GARETH PUGH

He took the theme of the dominant, enpowered woman but gave her a more twisted and Amazonian kind of feel. To be honest though, I think theres room for much interpretation of Pughs work. To me, there was also a birds of prey theme going on here too with the shapes and feathers. I like Pugh for being different, daring and willing to shock a crowd. I think thats what modern design is. Someone willing to do what others haven't or won't. 

 NICHOLAS ANDREAS TARALIS

Way back at New York, we saw the Japan and China themes beginning and now its transformed as far as designers like Taralis being inspired by martial arts. The silhouettes were interesting, but mainly on his top halves. 

 MUGLER

Mugler is another designer who likes to shock. This was again very futuristic with an interesting on developing weird and wonderful shapes ! No wonder Lady Gaga goes Gaga for Mugler. Its right up her ally.