In London, John Rocha shows sleek-looking men’s coats _ but womenswear suffers by comparison

In London, Rocha shows sleek-looking men’s coats

LONDON — With autumn/winter fashion shows, it’s not a bad idea to toss in a few coats.

Designer John Rocha went a step further, showing a dozen layered shearling, leather and felt wool coats for men that blew away the rest of his collection Saturday at London Fashion Week.

The coats had ragged uneven hems, holes in unprocessed felt and were often paired with sleeveless vests in another texture. The shearling was dark brown or black and very thin — none of that traditional thick wooly shearling that turns people into camel-colored polar bears.

On top or underneath Rocha’s black leather or black or gray wool coats, the effect was mesmerizing, raw urban testosterone. If James Dean or Marlon Brando were alive in 2010, these are the coats they would drape over their muscled shoulders or sling over their motorcycles.

Women fared less well under Rocha, mostly serving as props upon which to hang his overly structural designs. It was hard to see any feminine shapes under baby doll dresses drowning in huge cream ruffles or black pointed cone shapes.

The best pieces for women were fitted cream wool dresses with the same uneven hems and sexy unfinished holes as the men’s coats. Two fitted black suits livened up with sparkly panels and black-on-black embroidery were also eye-catching.

One short bouncy fluted wool dress — a cream version of a traditional cabled Irish sweater — showed off Rocha’s skill with textures.

“It was amazing. I’m a big fan of leather and I am Irish too,” gushed Laura Whitmore, an MTV video jockey who graced the front row.

Rocha has lived in Dublin for the last 22 years and also designs for Waterford Crystal.