Rochas Resort 2015

Review by Lauren Sherman
For his second Rochas collection, Italian designer Alessandro Dell'Acqua looked to the landscapes of 20th-century garden designer Russell Page for a bit of inspiration. From the color palette to the fabrics, flowers were everywhere.

A print of roses and peonies—pulled from the house's archives—decorated the rounded shoulder of a silk faille coat, while other key pieces were done in shades of green: a duchesse satin ball gown in emerald, a double-face cashmere jacket in citron, and a fold-over leather clutch in mint. Petal-shaped collars were used on pleated shirting, and a Rochas-pink cocoon coat provided the jolt of visual interest that any proper garden needs. To add texture, a jacquard-velvet floral was layered over Sangallo lace on a series of dresses and tops. And the tweed woven into organza on a ruched milkmaid dress almost looked like tiny flowers.

Through it all, there were unrestricted silhouettes. Everything sat away from the body, waists were dropped on dresses, and pockets—another Rochas signature—were incorporated anywhere it was possible. (Even on a regal, floor-length trapeze gown with pleating between the shoulder blades.) While Dell'Acqua seemed to rely heavily on the house codes this season, his emphasis on comfort offered modernity.