LONDON, Sep 18, 2006/ FW/ --- Ruches and ruffles were the central themes of John Rocha’s Spring/Summer 2007 collection.

But this is not a spring imagined for frolicking through daffodils in a frilly dress. Rocha’s vision of spring is much more somber.

The show opener, a heavily gathered coatdress with tan shorts peeping through at the hemline, read post-apocalyptic rather than post-winter blues. The first third of the show continued in this vein, Rocha employing his continued use of black and cream.

Coatdresses possessed the ubiquitous trapeze shape of the past few seasons but the random placement of lace ruffles proved to be a bit distracting at times.

Still, with many of the coats and jackets cut unevenly, they added to the off-kilter effect of the collection, giving it a unique charm. Sheer white jodhpurs with large square pockets though a bit revealing were sexy, and meant for the most adventurous fashionista

The clothes, accessorized with black knit platform heels and brimless hats, seemed haphazard and impractical for spring. Knit was layered onto neck collars, blurred the season.

Fortunately, the light began to shine in the form a silver metallic blouson. The blouson, shaped to form its own cascading cape, is a beautiful testament to Rocha’s design technique and shows his vision.