John Rocha dug deep into his heritage, and drew upon cherished memories of Hong Kong’s Happy Valley Race Track to bring us his AW12 collection, just a few hours after his daughter Simone had offered her own with to a great reception.

The combination of John’s palette, grounded in black but inspired by Sean Scully’ canvasses, and the rich array of materials resulted in a sense of wild romantic, gothic glamour.

Strong, solid silhouettes opened the show – a series of ballooning taffeta jackets in hues of olive, gold and Rocha’s signature black swamped delicate, floor-skimming skirts, anchored with Mongolian fur trim. If you looked closely, wild patent galoshes and kitten heels, dense with fur trim, were revealed under the sheer, fluid fabric.

The blurred sense of the fragility and fierceness of the Rocha woman continued. Flimsy fabric was juxtaposed with webbed knits, elaborate 3D blooms and wet-look peplum dresses, creating sumptuous evening wear that left us weak at the knees.

Words: Millie Cotton