Rodarte Fall'09

Rodarte is making a splash everywhere with their Fall'09 collection during New York Fashion Week. However, while their handmade pieces continue to organically evolve into some marbled combination of metal, wood, and stone, my eyes are fixated on the amazing thigh-high boots they have created to match their collection. The olive-grey boots look like a uniform coat of organisms growing on the tall pillars of the models' legs, or stone or slate subjected to a millenium of natural forces. These boots are one of the most consistent piece throughout the show, and I couldn't direct my attention away from them.



Of course, thigh-high boots are more common this season, but I don't think you will ever see anything like the ones at the Rodarte show. The boots have straps criss-crossing and running up the entire length of the leg. The straps begin at the base of the boots with a metal stud holding it down at each side, and I'm not sure how it ends. Before I could see the details, I kept wondering if those boots were pants with great texture. Being a fan of anything thigh-high, I simply love how these boots look from afar. I can't imagine them being anything less than $3,000 though, so I couldn't possibly purchase them when the time comes. But I sure look forward to seeing some celebrities work these boots into their style. By the way, the boots are also in black for the darker/heavier pieces of the collection.

Rodarte's history after the Jump.

Brief Background. Kate and Laura Mulleavy founded Rodarte (named after mom's maiden name) in Fall'05, following their graduation from UC Berkeley. The Mulleavy sisters appeared on the cover of Women's Wear Daily and had a meeting with Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue, after an initial collection of 10 pieces in NYC. (FYI, Anna Wintour's daughter, Bee Schaffer, is HOT!) Rodarte won the following awards since their inception:

- 2006 Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award
- 2006 CFDA Swarovski Womenswear Designer of the Year Nomination
- 2006 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Runner Up
- 2007 CFDA Swarovski Womenswear Designer of the Year Nomination
- 2008 Swiss Textiles Award (first American designers to win)

Rodarte is being sold in places like Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Ikram, Jeffrey, and Colette. Also, celebrities such as Cate Blanchett, Kirsten Dunst, Keira Knightley, and Dita von Teese has been seen wearing Rodarte.