Helena Bonham Carter Wore Simone Rocha To The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition Preview Party 2025

Helena Bonham Carter made a welcome return to the red carpet for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition Preview Party held at Burlington House in London on Wednesday—and while she’ll forever be associated with Vivienne Westwood, this look felt like the start of something special.

The second I saw her in this black tulle, floral embroidered tiered dress with a cropped jacket from Simone Rocha’s Fall 2021 collection, I thought, “A new fashion partnership has blossomed.”

Helena and Vivienne have long shared an aesthetic sensibility: both are rooted in anti-establishment creativity, with a gothic-punk undercurrent and romantic theatricality. But this Simone Rocha moment? It felt like someone had finally bottled Helena’s essence. Simone’s designs mix innocence and edge, beauty and dishevelment—all wrapped in a fairytale-like fog of tulle and florals. So yes, this tracks.

She could’ve picked from Simone’s newer collections, but this particular Fall 2021 look feels so right. It’s darker, moodier, and full of that off-kilter femininity Helena does best.

Tulle bag? Check. Signature jewel-encrusted leather shoes? Naturally. A look that feels like it stepped straight out of an Edwardian dreamscape? Absolutely.

If it’s giving déjà vu, you might be thinking of Golda Rosheuvel’s 2021 BAFTA TV Awards appearance. Golda wore look 4 from the same collection. Helena, however, wore look 32—and made it entirely her own.

I absolutely adore this.

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