The Irish designer knows how to cook up twisted menswear bangers. But now, with her first standalone show for the guys splashing down at Pitti Uomo, she’s taking things up a level.
Simone Rocha’s masculinity is soft, tender, and subversive. But tonight in Florence, it went up a gear with its first standalone menswear show at Pitti Uomo.
Souped-up hooded jackets with puff sleeves, rugby jerseys accented with frills, and floral motif shirts all touched down in Florence – all components of her menswear vision which was first introduced in 2022. Suits were softened with bouncing feather boas, and leather and satin was used to craft aprons nodding to painters and the workwear worn by artisans in Florence. Three-button jackets were paired with pooling trousers and could have been worn by George Emerson in Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s 1985 film adaptation of E. M. Forster’s A Room With a View (a favourite of Rocha’s). Denim jackets were finished with frilled detailing on the chest. And a final look layered a dress and a suit, encapsulating Rocha’s fusion of masculine and feminine.
It all unfolded in the Teatro della Pergola, one of the oldest opera houses in Italy. The space served as the ideal sequel venue to February’s AW26 show in the stalls of the Alexandra Palace theatre, where Rocha’s floral-patched workwear and slouchy suiting teed up her latest offering nicely. But this time, Simone Rocha’s guys weren’t playing a supporting role – they’re leading men.
Guys are already vibing with Simone Rocha menswear. It’s got Josh O’Connor and Paul Mescal flying as fans. And today it wasn’t hard to see why this vision of masculinity goes down well.
The suiting, while pairing contrasting silhouettes, was well executed and sharp. She dabbled in workwear , and delivered embellished Oxford’s, too. They’re all solid pieces guys want to wear, but a little different, a tad more … fun. Now who doesn’t want a bit of that in 2026?
