Rodarte

Rodarte's Fall 2012 collection was inspired by Australia, with a smattering of Victoriana to boot. Designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy referenced the Outback in their clothing, and the windblown hair and sun-soaked faces suggested an afternoon in a dust storm. Backstage, the scene was bustling; here, a few snaps from the other side of the runway.

Photo: NARS

Leave it to Kate and Laura Mulleavy to not only draw a star-studded front row — hello, George Lucas, Natalie Portman, and Dakota Fanning — but to deliver a stellar, 1940s-inspired Fall '12 collection too. One part cave-drawing-infused, one part retro femme, and one part Australian outback-reminiscent, Rodarte showcased a beautiful mix of totally girlie pieces with both red-carpet appeal and wearable ladylike style. The sister duo paid close attention to feminine details á la Peter Pan collars, artfully structured ruffles, and metal star appliqué hair combs. Yet, never ones to shy away from throwing some quirk into the picture, they added literal hand prints to long, flowy evening gowns and added cowboy buckles to double-strap leather belts. The biggest covet-worthy takeaway from today's show? After several seasons of collaborating with key shoe designers like Nicholas Kirkwood and Christian Louboutin, the Mulleavy sisters debuted their first-ever in-house shoe collection. We're calling it: Rodarte's two-tone pumps with heels made of plexiglass, sexy dominatrix-inspired spat heels, and lace-up boots will be Fall '12 It girl items. All in all, it's a gorgeous autumnal lineup, just begging to be worn.

• Trends: Cropped cable-knit sweaters, hand-print chiffon dresses, and 1940s-inspired silhouettes.
• Colors: Warm, earthy tones like rust and terracotta juxtaposed against cool neutrals.
• Key Piece: Super-cute chunky cable-knit sweaters paired with terracotta-hued trousers; diaphanous hand-print chiffon dresses.
• Accessories: Ladylike round-toe pumps with heels made of plexiglass or filled with sand, sexy lace-up gladiator-inspired spat heels. Look out for the subtleties in each heel design.
• Who Would Wear It: Front-row attendees Natalie Portman and Dakota Fanning are high up on the list, but we think a plethora of A-list talent will be clamoring to wear this collection. Don't be surprised to see Taylor Swift, Alexa Chung, Kirsten Dunst, and Elle Fanning flaunting Rodarte's wares, too.

>> With a front row that boasted some of the best fashion week sightings yet, the Fall 2012 Rodarte show was off to a pretty stellar start right out the gate. After all, its not every day that one sees George Lucas at a fashion show. Not to mention Natalie Portman. In fact, this front row was so heavy with star power that it prompted some to wonder, "Is the Rodarte show the new Oscars pre-show?"

Well, not quite — but it was far and away the Mulleavys' most controlled and accessible offering to date. The sisters found inspiration in Australia, culling influences from that country's colonial era, the Outback — and nearly everything else in between. The result was imaginative, transporting — and utterly wearable. There were super-structured coats; cropped cable-knit sweaters; slouchy dungarees; and a boatload of very appealing frocks. Fabrics ran the gamut from leather to chiffon, and some stunning Aboriginal-inspired prints were used throughout.

And — in case you were wondering — there were also plenty of dreamy gowns just right for the A-listers up front.

>> Slits, cut-outs, and head-to-toe print looks — courtesy of the Resort collections — all got major play this week. See who went there — and who got two nods apiece — in the slideshow.

>> The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles hosted its annual gala on Saturday night, drawing Laura and Kate Mulleavy, Tilda Swinton, Rachel Zoe, Shala Monroque, and event chair Dasha Zhukova.

The evening, curated by the performance artist Marina Abramovic, started with guests being asked to put on a white lab coat before sitting down to dinner; each table, meanwhile, had a live, rotating human head for a centerpiece, with the attached performance artists sitting beneath. Diners were given a list of rules about interacting with the centerpiece, such as, "The centerpiece will observe you. You may observe the centerpiece." and "No touching, feeding, offering drink, or disrespecting the centerpiece."

Debbie Harry was shortly thereafter carried onstage to serenade the crowd with “One Way or Another” and “Heart of Glass.” Postperformance, two life-size nude cakes of Harry and Abramovic were brought out. With a machete, Harry removed her cake's red velvet heart, and then teams of shirtless men descended on the two cakes with meat cleavers, sending toes, breasts, and other various anatomical parts to the different tables on dessert plates.

Pictures from the event in the slideshow.

If you've watched The Kids Are All Right or Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, you'll recognize actress Mia Wasikowska's quietly beautiful face. And, if you haven't — tune in, because Mia's career shows no signs of slowing down, taking the lead in Jane Eyre, and most recently, in Gus Van Sant's Restless, for which the actress made styled appearances at both Cannes and Toronto Film Festival. What's at the forefront of our minds is Mia's quirky-cum-ladylike aesthetic; it rivals Carey Mulligan's ladylike ways, and has us currently obsessed with her perfectly-executed red carpet looks. With a penchant for Rodarte, Jason Wu, Valentino, and basically anything demure with a slightly funky edge, she's quite quickly become one of our favorite young actresses to watch. Since today happens to be the actress's 22nd birthday, we're celebrating with a look at her most memorable looks so far.