At Rodarte this season, Kate and Laura Mulleavy were in a bit of an abstract mood. “We were thinking about fantasy as in a fantasy realm, about transporting in and out of something,” Laura explained on a recent zoom. “We loved the idea of having optical illusions, the idea of not knowing where something starts and something ends.” A black sequined column gown had a corded lace ruffled collar attached with illusion lace so that it seemed as if it was just floating by itself; a black gown had a series of gathered ruffles in chick yellow, ballet pink, baby blue, white, and black that floated asymmetrically from the shoulders hiding the arms and obscuring most of the body. “It’s like a butterfly about to come out of its chrysalis,” added Mulleavy, and indeed there were two sequin embellished butterflies on the bodice.
As of late, Rodarte’s gowns have been making many red carpet appearances, and there were plenty of options here for the stars (or those who just want to feel like one). These included a scarlet red sequined column gown with a small peplum at the waist and a hand-shaped rosette at the chest; slinky slip dresses straight out of the boudoir in silk with lace bodices or in the most languid and liquid of lamés; and a dusty pink lace dress with ruffled “shells” on the breasts. There was also a Victorian-inspired gown with oversized leg-o-mutton sleeves in delicate metallic corded lace. Another one in a semi-sheer cotton tulle embroidered with hundreds of tiny pearls and ruffles at the chest, the sleeves, and the skirt, felt like it was made for a goddess or maybe a witch.