nyfw: rodarte
(images via ny mag)
you probably know by now (see f/w 2010, s/s 2011, f/w 2011, resort 2012, s/s 2012) that i’m a little skeptical on the subject of rodarte, finding designers kate and laura mulleavy to be a little too proud for their own good. like, i’m not going to try to argue that they’re without talent, or anything nonsensical like that, but on the other hand, i often see homegirls trying to align themselves with major art figures—whether it be gianlorenzo bernini or vincent van gogh (or having their works installed in the lacma simply because they were kind enough to donate them, and thereby gain the acclaim of having museum-worthy pieces, sure to be seen by a whole slew of additional eyes that might not have sought them out otherwise). so, no, i’m not going to say that their work is without its charms. and yet…
sometimes i can’t help but wonder in the small world in which fashionies revolve—yannow, the one in which i’ve recently also questioned the rise of prabal gurung—they’re so desperate to find new talent, new kool beans things to grasp onto (in their comfortable zones all the same; i’ve long since given up the wish that they’d finally realize they can escape to so many other brilliant fashion cities, like kiev, belgrade, rio de janeiro, or stockholm to find what they’re seeking) that they sometimes make something out to be more than what it is. and of course, the ‘we so edgy’ sisters play into this perception just perfectly. as i’ve just recently told a good friend, some people know how to work the office politics system much better than their actual job. and though i know i’ll be on the receiving end of a bomb threat for this statement, homegirls play that tune like the finest of melodies.
but as always—and mostly because i don’t wish you all to hate me too much—i do want to acknowledge that i’m just one person and my opinion, just like any other’s can be subjective and fallible. therefore, as always, we’re going to open things up to the critics, most of whom believe much the opposite of what i myself profess. so you see! subjective! for example, t magazine yelped that the f/w 2012 collection presented at new york fashion week was “full of gorgeous surprises, the biggest being expressions of sportswear, which showed in the form of things like fisherman sweaters and cargo pants… Another first for the sisters: self-designed shoes. (Some versions of their lace-up combat had plexi heels filled with sand, others had metal plates attached.) Not that it was all rough and tumble. An aboriginal-print tea party dress and others with lacy silk thread embroidery were extremely delicate. The show ended with a series of crinkle silk chiffon dresses in a hand print that was as humorous as it was haunting.”
us vogue gasped that “as Laura Mulleavy was explaining backstage, the siblings’ progress toward their varied lineup was as intellectual and as researched as ever. ‘We have been looking at the history of the building of Australia—the layers and layers of it we found in Victorian photographs, all the way through to the late thirties. The Outback and aboriginal art.’ It was certainly a different geographical location from the sisters’ usual explorations of American landscape and history—but really, the woman they ended up depicting was the same one: an impressive yet modest survivor over a hardscrabble existence. Somebody with both practicality and poetry ingrained in her spirit. The upshot? Well, this collection could put Rodarte on a whole different business-footing. Many of these clothes can now be worn in the street and at work—a welcome realism that takes the designers beyond their remit of making very special party and event dresses.”
and even the nyt’s cathy horyn was in on the praise: “The clothes convey the klutzy, tenderhearted beauty that they like, with outfits like lace guipure blouses in pale pink or rust worn with matching skirts, and a slim, double-breasted coat in horizontally striped pumpkin-and-cream wool with wide lapels. But the tougher attitude of some black shearling coats and separates took you back to a collection the sisters did a few years ago. In that show they tried to use leather in a mean, hard-core way, but the efforts came off as derivative of more-experienced designers’ work. Still, hardness was part of their sensibility. With this collection, sophisticated and varied, the Mulleavys have worked out a few more kinks. The shearling, with the off-white wool forming random-width stripes on the black leather, is a brief of how to be imaginative. The fall shows are full of leather — crinkle, distressed, mixed with fabric — but so far, nothing has matched Rodarte’s pieces in technique and simplicity of design.”
“The dusty blues and rust tones of arid inland Australia colored the clothes,” said wwd, “beginning with soft circle skirts and cropped blouses with dolman sleeves. These offered a wistful nod toward homely innocence that seemed rooted in the Thirties. In today’s world, their obvious discretion demands a certain fashion bravery. For those who prefer to swim with the current stylistic tides, there was the Outback. The Mulleavys molded the idea of rugged terrain into outstanding fisherman sweaters and patchwork aviator shearlings, which are having a moment right now, though these were a clear cut above what can be found in a store near you. The leather work continued on sheaths, nipped at the waist and sporting Aboriginal patterns that moved the lineup in an edgier direction. That tension between somber, old-world femininity and modern moodiness was pitch perfect in the Victorian-inspired gowns that came two ways: a hand print on tiered chiffons, and loose columns, their black lace collars connected with tulle for a strapless effect.”
and uk vogue pointed out that “(t)he past two seasons have shown that the Mulleavys are striving to add commercial appeal to their earlier collections that, while intriguing, were limited in terms of pieces that customers could actually purchase. This season was surely their most retail-friendly venture yet, with shearling-lined leather jackets, chunky, cropped fisherman’s sweaters, and a rust skirt-suit flaunting white, wide lapels. Bits of dreamy enterprise peeked through in some of their dresses, like a floor-length dress with cascading tiers of ruffles that mixed an aboriginal print with a lace collar - a mash up of two very different ideas of the land down under - while one languid dress appeared to be wrapped in tinsel like a Christmas tree. Some dresses, in a variety of nubbly fabrics like wool guipures or woven jacquards, had a boxier, relaxed cut with sloped shoulders, dolman sleeves, and exaggeratedly ladylike Victorian collars, while others in black and white leather were lean and strong.”
“here,” reported style, the designers “showed black and white shearlings you could believably see strutting city streets. In fact, we’re sure we’ll be coming across plenty of them this time next year. Retailers were undoubtedly just as pleased to see a pair of black leather dresses with hand-tooled appliqué details that faintly recalled aboriginal motifs, as well as cropped alpaca fisherman sweaters worn with high-waisted wool pants; remember, Oz is an island. Tailored coats and jackets worked too, especially a dusty blue double-breasted style that looked like something out of Nicole Kidman’s wardrobe in Baz Luhrmann’s Australia. Longtime fans of the duo’s eccentric point of view needn’t worry, though. The finale evening gowns with their cave-painting handprints were as unconventional as ever. Same goes for their new shoe collection. That was sand inside the Plexiglas heels.”
but finally, my old standby suzy menkes of the iht seemed to grasp some of what i was feeling in writing that “he inspiration for a show that reflected the dust bowl of the Outback, the patterns of aboriginal drawings and a hard-striving spirit. The idea seemed to follow a previous Rodarte country message from America’s Deep South. But…this collection in shades of beige and rust seemed subdued. The craft work was condensed into dowdy dresses with dolman sleeves, their dusty, bleached colors matching the models’ pale faces, hair raked into a side part. Native patterns worked on a bodice or a motif of hands from primitive cave drawings had an ethnic nobility. But where was the underlying tension, the horror movie sex-and-gore that the sisters brought to earlier collections? For all the exceptional handwork creating a slim shearling dress or chunky cable knits, the show lacked vigor.”
(watch the collection video here)
