As per requested on my formspring, here's a review. I wrote it as I was watching the show for the third time, so I do apologize if it seems rambly. It's straight from my brain, and I am a rambly person.
This collection was very different from any other one they’ve ever done. It wasn’t a continuation of anything, though the shapes they used were signature Mulleavy. It was a new exploration, and that in itself is admirable…. A lot of designers “cop out” (in my opinion, and who cares about my opinion) and just continue on their last season’s look with different colors and call it a day.
That being said, I had to watch A/W 10 a few times before I felt like I could appreciate it. Not because it’s ugly. It’s not. It’s just feels more complex (maybe just different, maybe I'm used to them being fierce as opposed to sweet?) than anything they’ve done, maybe because it’s pulled straight from the subconscious. It’s not polished, not really, and there are some looks that I did note “flaws” – pants were too baggy (well, they are on MODELS, so that is forgivable), maybe a sweater was a bit too bulky for the look as a whole – but I think it’s endearing and makes the collection more sincere. It’s not supposed to be polished, because the vision they were translating wasn’t crisp anyway: it was a dream state, a half-state -- and that was translated perfectly. You feel disoriented, but safe despite it; the colors lure you in and the textures make you curious. The first time I viewed the collection and I saw the random gingham thrown in I raised an eyebrow. The second time I was ambivalent. The third I grinned; it made me happy.
Oh man, the textures. I love the textures so much. I wish I could see it in person and just watch it in person. Things are always better in person, and this collection is such a statement I am dying to see how it’s styled. It would be too easy to take a whole look from the runway and mimic the dream state in the pages of a magazine, so I am looking forward to see stylists tackle it as a challenge., to see them try and blend it in with other looks. It will be an interesting feat.
I think my favorite looks were the long dresses towards the end. They felt the most magical, the most pure and pristine, like we were finally allowed to fall into the fantasy fully, like we were being held captive beforehand. It reminded me of a dream-warrior, a fairy princess asleep in her tower, but who’s notorious for being a little bit cold. She’s different from the other princesses, a little nerdier, a little rougher, but she’s still got that good breeding. She’s a little strange and a little wonderful, and she’s distant and lovely and you know less about her the more you try to talk to her. In my head, that’s the kind of girl I see in these dresses.
she would sleep on this kind of bed!
Right when I felt with conviction that, “yes, this is an amazing collection,” and I was sure about the final vision, they brought it to the next level. BLACKLIGHT. WONDER. GLOWING. I can’t be more literate about it because it was too awesome and I’m not eloquent enough for it, but trust that it was magnificent. The shoes alone could have made any show phenomenal (I mean, melted candlewax? Floating models? Yes, I’d like a pair every day of the week.) I mean, really. Jeez.
So, do I like this collection? Yes. Is it the most beautiful of theirs to me? I don’t think so; I think the bloody collection might be. But is it the most complex, the most admirable to me? Hell yeah. It doesn’t exactly push you like the past collections… this is a softer Rodarte. It’s not an attempt to be a perfect vision. It’s ethereal; a little blurry and a whole lot of wonderful.
hopefully this wasn't too long for you. if it was, oh well.
