Rodarte Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2011

Like a breath of fresh air brought in from a meadow, Kate and Laura Mulleavy’s autumn/winter 2011-12 collection for their label Rodarte was a moment of quiet grace in a maddening world.

This season, set in a clinically white gallery filled with neon light sculptures, the Rodarte archetype – with her windswept hair – continued her mystical journey in and around nature. This time, the sisters focused on the pastoral imagery of the Great American Plains. It made for one of their more serene and straightforward collections, and that means they can give their label commercial strength too.

The clothing had strong ties to the prairies and pioneers, with long sun-dresses in flaxen, muted gold and sky blue. Often these sheaths were worn with equally long coats. Other looks were familiar from last season, like the high-waisted pants and blouses of intersecting panels of fabric. The sisters evoked early American settlers with colonial pony-skin aprons and cinched waists over A-line skirts. Fabrics had a handmade look and feel, such as boucle wool, rough-hewn wools, floral and guipure laces and mohair knits. The season’s geometrics came in Amish quilt motifs, seen in the sweaters and  tops (patchworked from leathers and pony hair) as well as the tough, tribal-looking footwear with Native American beadwork. Dresses, with their slight bishop sleeves and prairie vibe, looked chic, while the floor-sweeping coats  featured the occasional cutout and crisscross straps for visual intrigue.

The draped silk goddess gowns looked simply beautiful and highlighted their theme literally. They all featured a sky and wheat field scene in various hues, depending on the time of the day.

Rodarte Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2011

The audience went bananas after the finale of the Rodarte ss2011-show. Again the sisters Mulleavy delivered a piece of artwork and handcrafted creations. Although this collection was inspired by nature too (wood, paper, reptile-skin, stone) it felt totally different than before, less magical. Maybe it were the stiff fabrics,or the  items that looked as if they were made of shifting plates ore maybe the dresses made of blue and white patterns that sometimes looked like china, delfware or wallpaper. Gone are the good witches, it’s hello to the goddesses.

It certainly was a step forward, since their signature handcrafted macrame-dresses were copied a lot lately. And the clear lines and layers definitely added a modern, contemporary touch to their style. Somehow the use of the colors – brown, copper, gold, gray, white and blue – and the wood-patterns made me think retro-American architecture and interiors. But the best part was the wearability, these are actually clothes women can wear. Well, some women.

Rodarte Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2010

Rodarte’s Kate and Laura Mulleavy have become New York’s  young dream team. And that means expectations are high, because everybody is curious for their next imaginary adventure.

For the past few seasons, the sisters have explored a beautifully aggressive vision.  Yesterday they showed a more lighter and softer side, with a collection  full of feminine nomads.

Backstage the sisters  told WWD  they had been thinking about Juarez, Mexico, border towns and “the idea of sleepwalking and existing between worlds.” The result was a  romantic collection in delicate colors (light gray, tawny brown and ivory), a beautiful and intrigueing collage of knits and  yards of traditional Mexican lace.
Sheer silk pants were worn under wrap skirts and densely woven sweaters that hugged  the body.  Often, the fabric looked roughly cut and draped at random to compose a single piece.

The show’s finale looked like a fairytale, with a glow in the dark effect at the shoes and some details in the clothes. It fit perfectly with the backround of  dripping candles.

Rodarte Catwalk Fashion Show SS10

The Rodarte-girls have created their own world. An imaginary world that’s ferocious rather than precious, not to mention very influential. And with its gothic character, it’s particularly in tune with the moment.
This collection, which married primitivism to futurism, was one of Rodarte’s most fully realized. The silhouettes were familiar, the  construction of the garments represented the apotheosis of the techniques—in knitwear, printing, draping —that the Mulleavy-sisters have been refining season after season. They aged, painted, burned, shredded, sandpapered, and otherwise destroyed all of the materials—including grungy scraps of plaid, plastic, cheesecloth, wool cobweb, crystals, macramé, leather, and more—until they bore only traces of what they had been originally.
The idea that someone could “be scarred and still beautiful” was the collection’s leitmotif. The designers made up their own story about a woman burned alive and  who is transformed into a California condor. Forced to survive in a war-torn landscape, she pieces together her attire from rags that only serve to expose her wounds.

Rodarte Catwalk Fashion Show SS10

Rodarte Catwalk Fashion Show FW09

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