NY Fashion Week: Rodarte stuns with dark, gothic glamour

By Nardos Haile, The Associated Press on February 10, 2023.

NEW YORK (AP) – Rodarte brought dark, gothic glamour and opulence to New York Fashion Week on Friday with a shimmering show that transported the audience to a majestic Celtic fairytale land with a dark twist.

The grandiose show held at the Williamsburg Savings Bank featured dining tables decorated with silver candelabras and brimming with food and fruits covered in silver sparkles, lending a feel of performance art to the fall/winter collection display.

Rodarte sister-duo designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy, who worked on the tutus for 2010’s “Black Swan,” seemingly pulled inspiration from the film again. Rodarte’s line illustrated that the “balletcore” style trend may be headed down a darker path this year.

Models wore heavy, winged black eyeliner and black lipstick, matching their black gowns with long and pointy sleeves that draped to the floor for a dark fairy look.

In signature Rodarte fashion, buttery satin, ruffles, ribbons and lace were heavily present throughout some of the most visually pleasing gowns with simple silhouettes and puffy, broad shoulders and structuring. Some models wore capes and held grand bouquets of tulips.

“Winter” by Tori Amos set the haunting atmosphere as the gowns grew increasingly more avant-garde with hues of yellow, green and purple. A handful of models wore oversized black, blue and purple colored bonnets and veils like Tim Burton characters.

Celebrities such as Lana Condor, Brie Larson, Quinta Brunson, Maddie Ziegler and Rachel Zoe were in attendance Friday afternoon. Sitting front row was Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, who wore her sunglasses inside the dimly lit bank.

The forest-themed show also had models wearing silver fairy ears, crowns, and elaborate headpieces to add to the storytelling of the night.

Some of the most eye-catching looks of the afternoon were sported by four models who were draped in full- to medium-length colorful and iridescent tinsel gowns. Toward the end of the show, each model stood in the center of the sparkly tables for a moment of appreciation.

A weighted and structured golden tinsel dress that trailed about 20 feet (6 meters) behind its model closed out the wistful and folkloric show.