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3 YOU MGNT SAYTI]ATCTOTFNG DESGNERS KATLAND LAURA Mulleavy are living in an ench:rntedglrden, ,r refrrgefirr fron'r the cynicism of SeventhAvenue or the politics of Prris or Milan. That metaphorical garden is Pasadena,Cirlifornia, where these two sisters have created their fashion labcl, Rodarte-one of the most talked about and unlikel,vdebuts in recentfashionhistory.
Kateand Laura stumbledonto the fashionscenerhrecselsons ago with no formal designtraining, no producrion phn, and no clue about the ins and outs of Nerv York Fashron\l'ek. That turned out to be a good thing. Arntedu irh jusr l () looks7 dressesancl 3 coats-they arrived in rolvn in the middle of a blizzard to show their fall 2005 collecrion."\\e ttxrk the train in," Kate remembers.Three dlls l.rer rhe sr\ters had
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Above, left to right: Laura and Kate Mulleavy browseRodartct fall 2006 collection.This luxurious ivorv cashmerecoar s ar creared one panel at a time, and thcn dclicatclyplacedon the body of the coat to createan ombrd effect.
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grandfather, a Zacatecan coal miner who immigrated to the United States during the Mexican Revolution. Like their family lineage, their designs are uniquelytextured,unexpected,and completelycharming. Kate and Laura talk about fashionthe way Descartesmight have ralked about mathemarics: parr hrsrory.part ,'cience.
and with a little metaphysicsthrown in for good measure."Laura and I are fascinated by exploring the idea of lightness. One dress can have up to 33 yards of chiffon, but it looks like air, lrke a feather.It's taking yardsand yards of silk and connectingthem so that the volume is reallysoft," saysKate. "lt\ creatingsomethingso beautiful,"
Laura adds,"that it looksuntouched,like it cameout of air." For their spring2006 collection, the sisters realized they rvantedto "build treesin our ou,n u,ay." Their equally etherealfall 2006 collection, which features21 looks, is inspired by the Persephone myth: the hearrh,rhe underworld, and the frozen landscape. "The garments are organic, like a
Above, left to righr: Kate (pictured)and Laura havc no formal fashiontraining yet turn out sketchesthat morph into etherealgorvns. The waveson this gown from thc fall collcctionare crcatedfrom panelsof maize,taupe,and creamcrinkle chiffon in an ombr6 pattcrn.
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KDATIT'SiIUS,ES Fromhigh leo ol ihe RoseTreeCottogeto cruisngon the 110 Freewoy, hereore someof thedesigners'nspirolons lvlor.ie wi$ the best ftrshion: Roemory'sBoby ond TheBiner Teorsof Petrown Kant Style icon: Burlesque performer DitovonTeese Fqvorile wqf to sperd o Sundoy: Hoving teo ot $e Rose Tree Cottoge in Pqsodeno,626/793-3337, wwwrosekee conoge.com Best bookstrcre: Book Aley in Posqdenq,626/6n www ooo(oleycom
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Une,rpeOed inspirotion comes: While drivingon the freewoy A sale-ol:the-llt constrllaliorr rk'vit. .
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Guilty pleosure:Desserts-oll of them trVhere they umvind: HuntinglonBotonicolGordens,62614052100,wwwhuniinglon.org
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landscape.They look like somethingthat has been frozen rrnd died; thcl'rc so delicate,"l-aura says.Take their Gold \VavedGown-a srriking goddessdresssirh almost fluid wavesof fabric finishedwith pinking shears.To the uninitirted, it's sinr ply a work of wearableart. A closer look revealsa qulliru of craftsmanshipthirt approachesDior couture.The two say the time it took to hand-pin and drape rhe gown is unquantifiable.The sophisticated eleganceof Rodrrte'sscallop-trimmedivorr cashmerecoat recallsthe simplicityof Brancusisculpture.But u'hen you take a c,rre ful look at the hand stitching,simpleis the last word rhat comesto mind. Each panel is backedin satin,lined,and faced."[t! a connoisseur's coirt," Kate says."We're making the kind of clothesthat women buy and keep forevcr" "Some designerscreatea look, an image with mulriple pieces,"Laura adds. "For us it's about focusing on one object. Every detail is thought-out and meticulous. Eachpieceis uniqueand cannot be recreated-just like corrrure.The celter for that is Paris,but therewas oncea tradition with llames]Galanosand Adrian lrhe celebrated Hollywood costumedesignerl,and it's important to keepit alive.lt's our comnritnrnr to Americanfashion." Heatber Jobn is a seflior editot at Bon App6tit, azd rDefonner se,tior stlle editor at tDe l-os AngelesTimes Magazine. I