Dare (Yes, We Can!): Rodarte |

Undoubtedly things got slightly better at New York Fashion Week in the last few days and, after a rather slow and boring start, the catwalk shows have become more interesting and less bland.

Expectations were high about Rodarte’s catwalk and that was foreseeable since Kate and Laura Mulleavy have in just a few years managed to charm New York and the rest of the world with their designs and innovative use of fabrics, and the American sisters managed to deliver another excellent collection.

Fashionistas might have detected a sort of bondage theme in their Autumn collection, but there was much more than that. In fact, people who are passionate about architecture – a discipline that I find fascinating and that I hope to keep on developing more in this blog – might have identified a particular connection between the Mulleavy sisters' designs and the work of Gordon Matta-Clark, the American architectural artist who became quite popular in the 70s for his building cuts.

Matta-Clark's most interesting work consisted in literally removing parts (floors, ceilings, walls, etc.) of different buildings who had been abandoned or were scheduled for demolition or in splitting in half a house, transforming in this way the perceptions people had of that building and of its surroundings.

The artist's work had an extraordinary visual value and this could be said also of Rodarte's latest collection. While there were no flowing gowns, ballerina or column dresses, short skin-tight mini-dresses with draped and pleated motifs remained, but they were completely transformed by using different fabrics.

Almost using Guy Debord and the Situationists's concept of détournement, that is the "reuse of pre-existing artistic elements in a new ensemble", Kate and Laura deconstructed their pieces, adding snakeskin and crocodile embossed fabric, giving a luxurious edge to their glamorous and aggressive amazons.

The colour palette mainly comprised different shades of greys, with glimpses of blue, green and metallic colours here and there, while black was used for the strongest looks. In some cases the final effect was a bit like looking at a demolished house: imagine the dusty grey debris of a demolished building among which you can detect pieces of plywood, bits of colourful wallpaper and other assorted detritus.

Knits came back in funnel-like neckpieces, cardigans, tops and skirts, though they weren't as cobweb-like as in the previous collections, in fact they were more consistent and almost oversized for Rodarte's standards.

The outfits were accessorized with leather bondage boots and the final look was chic and modern, helped by the very basic yet sleek make-up and hairstyle.

So, well done to the Mulleavy sisters for having done another bold and daring collection.

A final mention today goes to Matthew Williamson: his collection featured cocooning coats in bright shades of orange, leather trousers in vivid colours and interesting dresses, skirts and suits in metallic nuances with prints of blown up jewellery. You just wished though that the designer had concentrated more on the latter and less on his pieces with dyed fox fur. Yet, though not extraordinary, the collection featured quite a few rather wearable pieces.