Blog.mode: addressing fashion, the awesome interactive exhibit from The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, ends today with a final post featuring a design entitled “Ethereal Nature” by American design duo Kate and Laura Mulleavy for their label Rodarte.

If you aren’t familiar with the exhibit, which I first posted about a few month back, take a look now ( as I’m not sure how much longer it will stay online). The show and it’s companion blog have been a wonderful guide to the trends in fashion over the last few centuries and even more exciting, an insider’s peek at the inspirations behind some of the most exciting couture in the Museum’s private collection.

It’s one thing to look at a beautifully constructed gown, it’s another to gain an understanding of the influences behind them. This Rodarte gown is a great example- at first look I saw a beautifully, pleated column dress, complete with Rodarte’s signature rosettes- the dress to me was girly, young and somewhat flowery. But after reading how the Mulleavy sisters find so much inspiration from the nature that surrounded them growing up in Northern California- I now see the dress in a totally different light.

Our work is often a study of balance, in which volume, construction, and color have a complex interplay that we carefully control. With this gown, in particular, we wanted to find a way of controlling pleats, and used pleating as a means of creating tonal texture. In using the pinked edges and the hand-cut waves, surrounded by a column of pleats, we were able to literally create depth in this piece while also maintaining both its delicacy and a light-as-air appearance and touch. Here, we also attempted to simulate the texture of tree bark, but in a soft and ethereal manner. Having grown up in northern California, completely surrounded by redwoods, tide pools, mustard fields, and apple orchards, we frequently translate vivid natural landscapes into our designs.

—Laura and Kate Mulleavy

I now see the strength and texture of the gown as compared to that of a redwood tree.

The pleats and rosettes on the bodice of the dress take on the fluid movement of saltwater flowing around the rocks in a tidal pool.

The softness of the pinked edges and pale color mirror the femininity of an apple blossom.

And perhaps, the pale golden hue of the gown reflects the shades of a Northern California mustard field.

For me this exhibit has been a good reminder that one-of-a kind fashion truly is an art form. And like with painting, sculpture, music and theater, one must let go of pre-conceived notions and look at each and every piece with an open mind to truly experience it’s beauty.

Have any of the many beautiful pieces included in the show changed the way you look at fashion? Let me know.

Photos: Flicker.com, Webshots.com and metmuseum.org   

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