At her Tuscan wedding in 2022, Rachel Bakewell epitomized the Simon Rocha bride.Photo: Jacob Lillis
On Wednesday, Simone Rocha—the Irish designer with a deft (and almost inexplicable) ability to outfit grown women in girlish tulle and make them look cutting-edge cool—will debut her collection for Jean Paul Gaultier at Paris Couture Week.
ICYMI: In 2020, Jean Paul Gaultier (the designer) announced his departure from Couture Week—but the shows would go on! Later that spring, the storied French maison revealed that each collection would be helmed by a new designer—a steady rotation of couture collaborations would follow, beginning with Sacai’s Chitose Abe in July 2020. In addition to keeping things fresh and drumming up excitement with the announcement of each new designer (today’s fashion industry, after all, is fueled by hype), the setup allows designers of ready-to-wear the chance to craft couture. Among those designers previously chosen for the honor are Rabanne’s Julien Dossena, Haider Ackermann, Y/Project’s Glenn Martens, and Olivier Rousteing.
The assignment? It’s more or less carte blanche, but designers are invited to reinterpret the codes central to the house of Jean Paul Gaultier. A theme not to be ignored is the tradition of the couture bride finale. While the final exit of a bridal look is not a hard and fast rule, we have a feeling it’ll be one embraced by Rocha, who has made waves in the wedding industry ever since the launch of her bridal line in 2021. (And who could forget her bridal capsule for Ssense—a collection that answered the question of what Miss Havisham would have worn if she were cast in Mad Max.)
In honor of Rocha’s forthcoming debut—and our hopes for a Simone Rocha x Jean Paul Gaultier couture bride—here’s a look back at the many Simone Rocha brides as featured in Vogue Weddings.