Rodarte

>> Rodarte's Laura and Kate Mulleavy created 40 ballet costumes, plus all of Natalie Portman's knitwear and dresses, for Black Swan, but don't expect them to receive any nod from Oscar. If anyone gets an Oscar nomination for costuming the film, it will be Black Swan costume designer Amy Westcott, who received the "costumes by" front credit. The Mulleavys didn't negotiate a credit as part of their initial deal, and they weren't members of the Costume Designers Guild at the time (only guild members are eligible for nominations, and the sisters have since joined). The Mulleavys recently said they're open to more film costuming opportunities, however. [The Hollywood Reporter via Fashionista]

>> Will the impending red carpet awards season finally take things up a notch? Last year's Golden Globes saw Cathy Horyn bemoaning the "soggy n’ safe red carpet," and decreeing: "Most of the dresses last night offered little more than a paper-doll variation on styles of the past few years."

It seems that celebrity stylists agree, according to articles published in both the New York Times and WWD yesterday, and are ready to switch things up. Jeanne Yang, who has three 2011 Golden Globe nominees among her clients, told WWD: "The days of the beaded, silvery, gown-y thing are kind of done. I don't see anyone wanting that." And stylist Robert Verdi noted: "Women were so safe on the red carpet that it looked more like a Miss America contest. They were always one wave away from having a sash on.”

Stylist Jessica Paster, who pointed to Dior and Dolce & Gabbana as examples of where she sees the red carpet looks going, added: "A lot of the spring collections had vibrant, beautiful colors. Hopefully we will see a lot of that, plus softer silhouettes." In other words, out with the neutral-colored, strapless, body-hugging gowns of red carpets past.

The Times highlighted Kate Bosworth's recent Spring 2011 Jil Sander look of white tee and long green skirt and Elle Fanning's choice of Rodarte earlier this week as indicators of the tides of change. But stylists aside, maybe Christian Siriano put it best on why things are bound to change: "Everybody got so bored that nobody cares about being on the worst-dressed list. The attention span is so much shorter that even if someone does wear something over the top, everybody forgets two days later — which is bad for us designers, but good for them.”

One of the year's most anticipated makeup collaborations wound up never happening. When makeup giant MAC teamed up with buzzed-about design duo Rodarte for a limited-edition color collection, beauty and fashion fiends were excited about the possibilities. That all changed when people saw descriptions of the Mexico-themed color collection, which featured product names such as Factory and Juarez — insensitive allusions, they said, to the brutal murders of hundreds of female factory workers in Ciudad Juarez.

In response to the outcry, MAC eventually canceled the collection before it ever hit stores. Instead, in mid-August the company donated its projected global profits to organizations that help women and girls in Juarez. For Rodarte, the controversy resulted in a more private approach to fashion week, as backstage access was tightly controlled for its September runway show.

• Exclusive: Katy Perry gets crystallized in Swarovski — People
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• Emily Blunt wears Tom Ford’s furry blue dress on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar U.K. — The Cut
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• Five minutes with Rodarte's Kate and Laura Mulleavy — W Editors' Blog
• Boulevard: Blue silk dress — Hilltop Glossy
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>> Thanks to Natalie Portman, who introduced Laura and Kate Mulleavy to Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky (whose film they ultimately created 40 costumes for, as well as the knitwear worn throughout), the Rodarte designers seem to be hooked on costuming for movies. "What’s interesting is that, as designers, our job is something so seasonal,” Laura said. “You finish a show and you’re already thinking about your next one. In film, you make pieces of clothing that go down in history. It’s been very, very exciting for us.” And would they do it again? “This was a magic combination of all the people involved, but we’re definitely open to doing it again.” [WWD]

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• Natalie Portman in Rodarte — Red Carpet Fashion Awards
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• Boulevard: Chanel charming — Hilltop Glossy