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John Rocha: It's All in the Touch
Written by: Godfrey Deeny
Photos by Gruber-FWD
London, Sep 19, 2001/FWD/ --- John Rocha must be the most tactile designer in fashion. He is so into texture,
you want to lean forward and touch the fabrics at his shows. Few put so much effort into stretching the
imagination with new finishes, forms and dyes.
The collection he showed Tuesday in London summed up the strengths and weaknesses of Rocha. His clothes
are edgy and inventive – hard to know what would look better for a downtown art gallery opening. But his cut
and silhouette are so directional that they do sometimes lack femininity. The alternative mood was underlined
by Paul Percival’s choice of pulled up ringlets for the models’ hair.
Reworked antique linen, tea-dyed lace and frayed chiffon were Rocha’s preferred fabrics. The invitation said
it all: an ecru-colored oblong card on which was sewn lace trim along side a similar shadow print stain.
He opened his show with pouf skirts in intriguingly patterned silks worn under tops of leather ribbons so
funkily woven they looked like seaweed. John showed some great white linen tops for women and men, finished
with lace cuffs and jazzed up with floral embroideries. The Hong Kong-born but Dublin-based designer mixed
up the mood with loose double-breasted pants suits with bold leather belts. One of his most outlandish ideas
was a pleated leather skirt worn as a bodice over a beige transparent dress.
Due to last week’s terrible events, Rocha cancelled his planned after-show party, but the designer personally
greeted guests before his show in Chelsea. "I wanted to just thank everyone for showing up," he explained.
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