With this collection, I further delve into the idea of the Rochas man as a maker. A Parisian maker: an artist, probably a writer, most certainly a flaneur. Whatever his occupation, it is the mindset that counts: the Rochas man enjoys getting dirty, so to speak with real life, keeping an unmistakably light spirit. He lives in no ivory tower. Rather, he hits the street, enjoying the energy of what happens around him, getting endless inspiration and food for thought out of it.
What defines this man, in my vision, is the gentleness of his gaze, the suaveness of his manners and the poignancy of his personal style. What I would like to convey is a nonchalance and an ease with getting clothed, with mixing colors and items together. I turned such ideas into an easy wardrobe meant to be interpreted as anyone wishes.
Softness is mandatory, across the whole spectrum: liquid volumes, flowing lines, supple fabrics and painterly hues are my medium. I tried to touch everything a man needs, offering the Rochas version of it, from soft tailoring to sportswear, from shirting to knitwear. A smattering of frills harmoniously clashes with the pragmatic precision of trenches and blousons, giving outerwear a delicately twisted slant, letting practicality and sophistication, masculine and feminine mingle and merge.
A city and life wanderer, the Rochas man collects bits and bobs, and maybe puts them on a string of rape, turning ceramic objects trouvé into necklaces. A laver of nature, he carries his painted garment holder, made in recycled paper, with pride. He likes his shirts and knits with a bit of embroidery: the human touch of craft, which can also be the uneven patina of a color, gives warmth and life.
Being atone with the environment, alive in nature is important for me, on every respect. I love natural fibers and natural colors, and I do my best to work responsibly. The Rochas man I have in mind, in the end, is urban, with a bucolic soul.
Federico Curradi, Menswear Creative Director
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Tags: ROCHAS, ROCHAS HOMME, ROCHAS HOMME SS 2020, SPRING SUMMER MEN 2020
Tue, June 25 2019 » Fashion Blog
Bourgeois understatement: precise yet elusive. A daywear look evoking the memory of couture like a faint echo. In a change of direction for its Autumn/Winter 2018/2019 collection, Rochas takes a modern approach to its claim on the discreet charm of the late 1970s Parisian bourgeoisie through its everyday looks. The House reveals a collection that is both sophisticated and down-to-earth: an aesthetic that puts cocktail dresses and gowns on the back burner to focus on elegant, exquisitely feminine daywear.
The everyday elegance of a suit jacket and trousers, a dress shirt or a double breasted coat is softened by an easy cut and enhanced with cashmere double knit. Brocade is combined with microfloral patterns in a whirlwind of glamour where daywear meets evening wear. Chiffon voiles streamline the luminosity of cut thread and decorative embroidery as if to downplay its preciousness. This style enables the cocktail dress to defy the passage of time and adopt an ageless elegance suitable for any occasion.
The collection gives pride of place to colour blocks and also proposes a symphony of sophisticated nuances: prairie green, mint, caramel, powder pink, camel or plum. A sunny yellow all-over look. Accessories make the interaction among these shades even more incisive. Boots bring a glamorous touch to the loafer in coloured reptile print featuring a glittery heel in a contrasting colour. Each, satchel, handbag and mini-clutch is crafted in two contrasting colours.
Solid, almost monochrome embroidery brightens the evening with muted light for an absolutely unique atmosphere. This is the face of the new Rochas signature glamour: an aura that raises everyday clothing to the status of a divinely understated ritual.
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Tags: FALL WINTER WOMEN 2018-19, ROCHAS, ROCHAS FW 2018-19
Fri, March 9 2018 » Fashion Blog
Colour and precision. As in the work of two giants of photography: the primary colours of Erwin Blumenfeld’s covers for Vogue America in the ’40s and ’50s, and the iconic statue-like precision of Cecil Beaton’s black and white shots.
Rochas’ new summer collection juxtaposes and overlaps dense blocks of contrasting light. Yellow, sky blue, mandarin, lilac and green. Decoration disappears and the spotlight is on construction. Pleats, drapery, flounces. The glorious tailoring of the forties is back in the lines, volumes and silhouettes of every creation. And underskirts add substance to the dream, without ever indulging in nostalgia.
Fabrics are sumptuous: devoré velvet and floral jacquards, masterpieces of hand weaving that transforms spring into brocade and adds opulence. In dresses, shirts and above all reversible coats: creations that do away with the boundaries between daywear and eveningwear, in a triumph of flowers.
Black and white tulle, lace and plumeti bring lingerie to mind, while the colour palette veers from bright colours to the quieter powdery hues of the most refined, ethereal part of the collection.
Hem lengths all touch below the knee. Allure joins the couture spirit of the tradition and petites mains of maison Rochas with a more modern attitude, as if a contemporary Teddy Girl were to put on a formal gown, a family heirloom, and wear it in a casual, unprejudiced way.
As is always the case with Rochas, accessories provide the punctuation in a statement about who you are. Platform sandals with wooden soles and sling- back straps are lit up with colourful ribbons, or adorned with fabrics from the collection (jacquard and dévoré) like memories, echoes of dancehall wallpaper.
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Tags: ROCHAS, ROCHAS SS 2017, SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017
Wed, October 5 2016 » Fashion Blog
Dreamy. Weightless. The Rochas Autumn/Winter 2015 collection is saturated with soft severity.
The heroine is fully in control, although she has a tendency to give in to the temptation of fleeting thrills and is always ready to indulge in the pleasure of eccentricity.
Alessandro Dell’Acqua opts for an assertively dark expression where sensuously precise cuts reveal the exquisite splendor of materials.
With very slightly emphasized shoulders and a nipped-in waist, the soft, vertical shapes slightly flare at the bottom and end at the calf. Warrior-style coats top crewneck dresses.
Military uniform-style shirts reveal a bourgeois, feminine spirit, fastened with little bows in the same wool from which the skirts are cut.
Dresses are held up by straps and sculpted with flounces along the cleavage in tribute to a classic shape by Marcel Rochas for the 90th anniversary of the brand.
Another excerpt from the archives, the pattern of a swallow in flight, is reinvented in the form of thick embroidery along belts, tops and little bomber jackets, and appears as a print on plain dresses.
A diversity of materials creates contrast to enhance the streamlined purity of the pieces: cashmere meets satin on dresses and skirts while various types of embroidery and jacquard embellish tops and coats.
Feather-light tulle is layered with tweed or paired with cashmere in brassieres of a nostalgic sensuousness while fur pockets are affixed to wraparound coats.
Full-bodied materials appear surprisingly weightless: double-faced cashmere, boiled cashmere, duchesse satin and silk jacquard reveal their buoyancy.
The natural color scheme reserves a few departures: shades of army green, ebony, black and bordeaux are peppered with yolk yellow and sky blue.
Accessories underline the collection’s starkness with an uninhibited eccentricity, such as pumps with a finely embroidered ankle strap, heels in fur, or oversized sunglasses with lingerie elastic.
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Tags: FALL WINTER WOMEN 2015-16, ROCHAS, ROCHAS FW 2015-16
Thu, June 18 2015 » Fashion Blog
