Rodarte x Opening Ceremony

I've had this theory, for a while actually, that Rodarte and Rachel Comey are related, maybe identical twins or cousins that look like siblings. I've hypothesized that if the price points of Rodarte were lowered to that of Rachel Comey, Rodarte would look p-r-e-t-t-y similar to Rachel Comey. The Rodarte x Opening Ceremony collaboration proved my hypothesis as correct. Another bonus, an even bigger positive than the fact that the collaboration looked like nerdy, pretty, intellectual clothing for the girl that loves mary janes, taxidermy, dusty pink florals and cupcakes, is that the Rodarte collaboration clothing is of a much higher quality than the Chloe Sevigny collection.

Other than the quality, which is comparable to that of Rachel Comey and Mayle; the designs are also very pretty and wearable. However, the Rachel Comey comparisons come not only from the fabrics, but the color choices and the shapes and draping of the garments. I'm reference the garments below mainly. While Rachel Comey does not own the use to solely use blush, dusty pinks, and floral prints, one cannot deny that the Rodarte Collaboration is, if not inspired by Rachel Comey, it is of the same vein of style, albeit with a more hipster edge. At the store today, there were some definite Rodarte pieces though, such as full fringed vests (a shout out to their knitwear) and thick white battenburg lace see-thru blazer and pants (very Prada A/W 2008).





I am kind of obsessed with this whole collection. I really think that it's brilliant, and there are a ton of pieces I would hypothetically buy, own and love, if only my bank account would allow for it. My favorite piece is this one circle skirt made of a printed chiffon that mimics snakeskin. Aside from the leather works (shorts and pants) and the handknitted vests, this skirt was one of the most expensive in the collection, priced at around 500 dollars, and the fabric is from the Rodarte main line. The only criticism I have about the collaboration has nothing to do with the collaboration at all, and it's really about the idea of Rodarte. If they can make interesting and well made clothing for cheaper which obviously still fits in with their aesthetic, then why make $14,000 dresses that few people can afford? If one can make cool shoes, skirts, and dresses all priced fairly reasonable for a small contemporary brand that aims to sell at Opening Ceremony, then why not do it?
To then debate with myself, I'll represent the other side of this argument- which is that Rodarte makes beautiful, art like clothing that is not intended to be manufactured for a great number of people. Idealistically, they make clothing for the sake of making clothing, it is not for everyone and they make beautiful things because they desire to.
However, in an ideal world, it would be great if they could marry these two ideas- the desire to create with the manufacturing of clothing that is somewhat more affordable than the ready to wear but almost haute couture prices fashion world they are currently inhabiting in. Or even better, make two lines- continue with the collaboration and continue to make the original Rodarte line (please, please, please?)

On a side note, they had some amazing tights and leggings. I bought a pair of the tattoo tights. Because, honestly after Rodarte S/S 2010, I really debated about drawing fake tattoos all over my body via sharpie to mimic the runway show. The tights make undertaking my endeavor quite a bit easier.


Two final photos from the Opening Ceremony website that I really enjoyed. Opening Ceremony made a GIF of a bunch of still images and some of the jpegs had this seizure inducing color on them. ENJOY




first image from RackedNY, all the rest are from Opening Ceremony