#SuzyNYFW: A Gothic Moment For Rodarte And Anna Sui

Rodarte: A sense of foreboding 

Horror, suspense, mystery… What else to expect from the Rodarte sisters? The set was a soaring Manhattan church; greenery apparently growing at the models’ feet, candles flickering. Something (probably bad) seemed about to happen. 

But first came day clothes with the models – all dark lips and padded shoulders – looking purposeful and perhaps up to no good. The veiled headpieces, mixing mesh and flowers, would have suggested a funeral, had the clothes themselves not seemed so perky and pretty. Think of a trail of Valentine’s Day hearts as the pattern on a fresh white dress; or even a sparkling, full-sleeved white blouse teamed with a pair of cotton trousers patterned with flora and fauna. 

Yet the history of this fashion duo suggested that the flowers were probably poison ivy and the leaves dangerously spiky. Once the evening looks came, and the sparkles appeared on every outfit, there was that feeling of suspense and unease that has always been at the heart of the Rodarte brand. 

What did that feeling of fear and discomfort mean for the clothes? There was beauty, but in a slightly twisted way: a pure white dress with an embroidery of a tarantula surely about to climb the chest on its way to the heart. Backstage, the details that showed up were swans, hand-painted on silk, and veils that seemed more mourning than marriage. 

This was, as ever from Rodarte, fashion from the dark side. 

“I feel it’s a little cinematic. The story is Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Francis Ford Coppola’s gothic horror film from 1992, so that hopefully comes across as the inspiration,” Laura Mulleavy said. 

Her sister, Laura, had a deeper interpretation of the basic idea. “I feel like we go through different kinds of emotions throughout the story, which starts one way and turns in a different direction,” she said. “There are surprises, and I think it’s an interesting interpretation of the movies.” 

“I think it’s about wonder, and the unknown,” Kate added. “My hint to that is the part when we move into beautiful hand-painted dresses and exotic flowers. For me, the show is beautiful but embracing the unknown.” 

There is no doubt that the duo can conjure up an atmosphere that turns their shows into theatrical performances. The question is quite how they move forward from here. They have tried showing in Paris, where the quality of their work, all made in California, could not compete with French haute couture. 

Yet there is a spirit in Rodarte that speaks to high fashion. And 15 years on from their first show in 2005, that spirit is still strong.

Anna Sui: Finding happiness in horror

The light glowed as if in a velvet underground as Anna Sui put the warm, dark, vaguely mysterious show into action for Autumn/Winter 2020.

As everyone who saw “The World of Anna Sui” knows – the designer’s 2019 exhibition at New York’s Museum of Art and Design – she has always built her image on the concept of dark interiors, with lipstick to match. But this season, dim, off-kilter colours sent out a more subversive message – but one that was entertaining rather than alarming. 

“The collection is all about nocturnal glam with a light gothic twist – very cinematic and seductive, washed in decadent versions of my favourite colours,” the designer explained. 

That was seen in the show as witchy lighting that changed the mood with different clothes, and as a Victorian rhapsody of lace; tiny or big, bold florals; and giant black-and-white butterfly patterns – every shape and reference that nature could provide. 

The designer has made an art form out of flora and has a passion for decoration in which more is never too much. But perhaps in the wake of the museum interpretation of her previous work, she spelled out her inspirations for this show. 

“During the summer, there was a film festival in New York that showed a series of horror movies that I had never seen,” she explained. “I loved the playful, dark surrealism of Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace (1964) and Flavio Mogherini’s The Pyjama Girl Case (1977), starring Dalila Di Lazzaro. I first remembered seeing her on the cover of French Vogue in the Seventies, with her amazing shag haircut. She later appeared in Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein.”

Sui continued with this fascinating list of influences:  “Next, I watched Daughters of Darkness (1971), a Belgian horror film starring Delphine Seyrig, and got into the mood of this season – the maxi coats with vinyl knee-high boots. Mixed in were the Hammer films, which were not as scary, and deliciously campy, glamorous, and sexy. There was always a babe – and despite the gore, there was a lightness to them.”

Backstage, with a torrent of information and show notes, Anna Sui showed what it takes to research one’s inspiration and deliver it in a fashion show, season after season. I was tempted to imagine the designer herself on stage, against the ever-changing backdrop of colours, describing every detail of fashion references to the audience.

But the strength and success of Anna Sui is that she carries her deep thoughts and hard work so very lightly, making her shows endearing and appealing.