Baby’s-breath – small white and pink bud flowers – used to either decorate the crowns of five-year-old flower girls or serve as a filler flower for bouquets, were on hand by the bunches at yesterday’s Rodarte show. The Californian designers, sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy, chose the blooms as a symbol of ephemeral youth. Like all youth movements, a dose of rebellion is required so as to avoid a sugar rush (highly possible, in this case, if you count the plethora of bows and flowers).
Rodarte Spring 2018. Indigital
In that vein, while the Mulleavy sisters dotted the halls of a Parisian cloister with models in polka-dot chiffon dresses, the key takeaway pieces here were the hell-for-leather looks. In poppy red, black, and white, pants were low-slung, boyfriend, and decorated with silver hardware and embossed graphic motifs. They cropped right at the ankle to showcase pointy racer booties that made for a solid street offering.
Rodarte Spring 2018. Indigital
A highlight: a white leather dress with undulating bunching around the yoke made for a sculptural alternative to a tiered ruffle gown. The finale featured all the models interspersed throughout the internal courtyard so that guests – among them actors Brie Larson and Kirsten Dunst – could get a closer look. The baby’s-breath drew everyone in, and for a minute, while admiring the red carpet-worthy dresses, one almost forgot that this was in fact a Spring 2018 ready-to-wear show and not couture, on offer thanks to the Chambre Syndicale’s invitation.
Rodarte Spring 2018. Indigital
Perhaps a fashion crossover is in the Mulleavy sisters’ future. The City of Light seems to serve them well.
Vogue Arabia in conversation with Rodarte on the advent of its Middle Eastern trip
