Double Visionaries

Rodarte at the National Museum of Women in the Arts

Sierra Madre, which took its name from a Mexican mountain range, is birthplace of the Irish-descended Perry Mulleavy, mycologist and father of Laura and Kate, whose artist mother, Victoria, is of Italian and Mexican descent. Rodarte, the first fashion house to be exhibited at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and currently on view through February 10, 2019, is Kate and Laura, but more importantly, they are Rodarte. Adopting Victoria’s maiden name for their brand, the sisters channel family, heritage, tradition and the pioneer vision of a California rooted in endless desert and skyward redwoods.

Working with the New York design firm Rafael de Cardenas, 97 fully-realized fashion moods from 13 years of work are presented in tableaux that transcend time and trend. Displayed as they were in the drama of past runway shows, the collection is showcased on fully decked-out mannequins, as well as floating on buoyant physical, invisible mounts. Rings, footwear and floral wreaths perfume and punctuate each design. As Guest curator Jill D’Alessandro emphasized, “They are visual thinkers. This is a very visual exhibition, so it’s ideal to see their pieces in person.”

While pattern-making is an element in their complex designs, and Kate does the sketching, each is intimately involved in making the clothing. Sewing skills learned from their mother are important, but curiosity about materials and how to manipulate them is their hallmark. Hand selected fabrics might be actively distressed, shellacked, dyed, or painted with sand.