Kate and Laura Mulleavy that make up Rodarte, made up a wonderful collection that had a quality of dark mixed with romantic that looked dynamic, powerful and sexy. Kink seemed to be channeled as well. "Its not subdued at all," said Laura a few days before the show. "Its about medieval play and role-playing games." Sounds good to me.
There were references to armored warriors and perhaps road warriors. The wonderful thing about this show is that there was a wonderful mixture of beauty that celebrated femininity and its strength, which was perfect. Short, strapless dresses shown layered over tight, printed turtlenecks had bodices shaped like partial octagons that jutted away from the body like a breastplate.
Waistlines were embellished in chains and corset like metal embroidery were on long fluid skirts that were less aggressive and more romantic. There were some biker bitch influences which were fabulous in leather. This includes lace-up pants and quilted jackets with ample fringe and colorful silk trim.
The silhouettes that were dominant were short, structured dresses, boxy tops worn over skinny pants.
The mixture of textiles and construction showed that there was a lot of handwork. An example of this is the guipere lace that worked like chain mail and the woven jaquards and brocades. All this and more are the marvelous touches that make Rodarte recognized as smart, intelligent and creative designers.
Kate and Laura Mulleavy's take on Australia is not the kind that is all about the surfing of Bondi or the monumental and stately curves of the opera house, but it was all about the more romantic and distant past as the sisters have informed. "We had a huge story to tell about the history and the landscape and the way we viewed where everything came from there," said Laura postshow. Here they did a wonderful job at creating a collection that had the most amazing creative intelligence that they are known for and yet maintaining a commercial quality to feed the commercial end of the business and it all worked out brilliantly.
The rich dusty blue blues and rust tones of arid Australia colored the clothes beginning with the soft circle skirts and the cropped blouses with dolman sleeves. They reflected the the homely innocence of the Thirties. There was the Outback as well that played a part. The rugged terrain played a part in the Mulleavys creative process bringing forth outstanding fisherman sweaters and patchwork of aviator shearlings, which are now having a moment this instant and I am certain they will be in a store near you this season. This leather work continued into sheaths nipped in the waist and sporting Aboriginal patterns that moved the line up in an edgier direction. One of the elegant features of the collection were the perfect Victorian-inspired gowns that came in hand printed tiered chiffon and loose columns and black lace collars connected with tulle for a strapless effect. Rodarte is truly a brand that takes creativity to a whole great intelligent level.
The Mulleavy sisters are now at the point of an ongoing challenge of merging the commercial and artistic endeavors. It is quite wonderful to see how far they have gotten. Each time they show their collection it is so obvious how they think out of the box and push the limits of using color, textures and shapes fearlessly, thus creating collections that look modern, artistic and feminine. This Rodarte collection bore the evidence of a desire to be more commercial while protecting the artistry at the core of their work.
Inspired by Van Gogh - his sunflowers, swirls of stars, brushstrokes and vibrant colors - the clothes were a mesmerizing concoction of color, contsruction and fantastical gowns. Off-the-shoulder dresses that were draped at the shoulders in a floral-print are true and feminine. A structured cocktail dress with a dropped waist and folded circle skirt looked new. A beautiful gown of iridescent seafoam tulle in sunflower embroidery was a treasure. What could not be seen is the internal construction. No matter how voluminous or seemingly simple, every look was boned for precise fit and structure. The designers' fixation on craft was apparent on some of the frocks. In the mix were tapered, cropped pants, tiered georgette skirts and fantastic color-blocked hand-knit cable sweaters that would be a feast for retailers.
I think that this collection would put a smile on Van Gogh's face. It sure put a smile on mine.
