On my way to the Rodarte show today I wondered how on earth would Kate and Laura Mulleavy top last season’s Star Wars wet dream of a collection and then I saw the crystals strewn on the set floor and I thought, 'Of course, Superman’s Fortress of Solitude!' I was wrong, of course, but dear Kate and Laura, you can have this one for free.
It turns out the actual inspiration behind yet another beautiful show was something closer to home but no less magical: the sea and all that lies below its surface. This being Rodarte however, it was the more humble and less photogenic of sea life that got the spotlight - rocks and barnacles and seaweed and sand.
When Jamie Bochert opened the show in a frilly blouse, hook belt and skintight white jeans tucked into knee-high gladiator boots however, Little Mermaid she was not – more of a Siren. What followed became more and more shredded and tattered, and in typical Rodarte fashion, beautiful, as if the sisters cast their net wide and used what they caught, although canvas fishing jackets, snug sweaters and frilly chiffon blouses – alongside those jeans and boots – ensured that there was plenty here for everyday. Pearly iridescent tank tops were layered under lace skirts with pieces of net still attached. Dresses had sequins and palettes and strings of chiffon and nautical stripes, their hemlines caught and ripped. One looked as if an old net had dragged up some sea plants along with the odd pearl. The penultimate gown seemed dipped in sand, and indeed it had been. The last one had everything including a twinkling night sky or rather a pool of disturbed bioluminescent algae. Who needs far far away galaxies?
