kate mulleavy

>> While guests sat in tinfoil-wrapped folding chairs, Laura and Kate Mulleavy sent out a collection that was living proof of their recent Swiss Textile Award; they were furnished with the financial ability to mix even more materials than before — leather, lace, metallics, Swarovski crystals, and of course those knits they're so well known for.

The inspiration was photographer Ari Marcopoulos, but when you get down to it, the collection is just another evolution of the Rodarte aesthetic that has been in place for a few seasons now: a collage of textured, hand-stitched, wearable art.  There weren't any long, flowy dresses this time, just short, semi-structured minidresses; that, combined with the iridescent fabrics used on some pieces is sure to draw some Balenciaga comparisons.  Nicholas Kirkwood contributed the shoes again, this time square-toed, leather strap-wrapped thigh-high boots, but it's still those knits that really get you — those loopy, nubby, arts-and-crafts knits.
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All photos from Getty images unless otherwise noted. 

>> At last night's annual Accessories Council ACE Awards, Nicholas Ghesquiere may have been awarded Designer of the Year, Sally Singer the Marylou Luther Award for Fashion Journalism, and Tamara Mellon's Jimmy Choo the Brand of the Year, but Stella McCartney was awarded the most special treatment.

The designer, who was flanked by Helena Christensen, Coco Rocha, and Dean Koons and anointed with a new award, Green Designer of the Year, had her table completely set with salads while everyone else had "a decadent lobster plate."  And out of respect for her vegan views, even her award — a Judith Leiber miaundiere — was made green, with a black hemp lining in leather's stead and no stainless steel plating.  Such attention to detail kept Stella in a high mood — she joked as she accepted her award, "Little did I know that my award would be second to last and I would need to use the ladies' room after putting on my unitard outfit. But that's life!"
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>> When Natalie Portman comes to the show, Keira Knightley hits up the after party, and Anna Wintour brings Bee — who usually only goes to Marc Jacobs and Proenza Schouler — along, you know Rodarte is really starting to make it big. Even Vogue Italia's editor-in-chief, Franca Sozzani, had a little trouble getting in — apparently, she tried to follow Anna and Bee through the velvet rope, but the PR staff wouldn't allow it.

Onto the clothes: They followed the same thought process as the Fall 2008 collection, but with a few key changes — the colors, the shoes (those treacherous shoes, made by Nicholas Kirkwood instead of Christian Louboutin this season), and the leggings, which were leather instead of knit, and although they looked laser cut, were entirely handmade.  Some think the look veered into Balenciaga territory, but me?  I'm just enjoying the view.  
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>> Designers spend an awful lot of time projecting their fantasies onto others, so the good people at Harper's Bazaar decided it was time to turn the tables for their September 2008 issue by asking ten designers to dress up as a fantasy character.  How else would you know that Karl Lagerfeld loves rap, Alber Elbaz wants to produce a James Bond spinoff movie called "Jane Bomb," and Donatella Versace wants to wake up as a princess?  Well, you might have guessed about that last one . . .
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