It’s not everyday that the Chinese custom of Qingming is referenced on the runway, but in the case of Simone Rocha, Spring/Summer ’19 was a lesson in the British designer’s Asian roots. “[It is] the Chinese equivalent of the Day of the Dead, when everyone goes up to the mountain in Hong Kong to clean their family’s gravestones,” explained the half-Irish, half-Chinese designer. “I was there this Easter when we went up to visit our grandparents.” And so, at Simone Rocha Spring/Summer ’19, paper taffeta raincoats reminiscent of effigies were made romantic with delicate lace; diaphanous veils adorned with intricate fleurs brought a sense of mystery to playful bubble dresses, voluminous cloche midis, and William Morris qipaos; and peekaboo tulles added an unexpected dose of sex appeal to ruffled Lolita-esque dresses. Here, Rocha experimented most heavily with her hallmark Victorian disposition, and dived further into her heritage by citing Tang dynasty concubines. “The best thing about Tang dynasty was the elaborate hairstyles,” she added. “I wanted it to be very playful, and one of the ideas was how I could make [their hairstyles] into dresses.