Rodarte S/S 12

Influenced by the unlikely combination of famous paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, Rodarte’s whimsical Spring Summer 2012 collection is a great fit with Swarovski Elements.



Iridescent beads and pendants add texture to romantic off-the-shoulder dresses while square sew-on stones create a pixilated effect on the straps of chunky heels.








'The Starry Night' by Vincent van Gogh (1889)











Pictures are property of Rodarte made with Swarovski Elements, Van Gough picture taken by C J Wood.

I`m a fan of mixing different forms of art and would think that mixing visual art from different centuries, like 19th century Post-Impressionism and 20th century animated film, creates an interesting result. I really like this collection, the depth of colours and also the cuteness and playfullness. It`s just the Disney influence that gives me a headache.

It is arguable if animated film counts as a form of art but that is not my problem with it. I`m disapointed that the Mulleavy sisters (that I consider to be fantastic designers) incorporated something as "low" as Disney into their collection, as for me Disney does not stand for "cute animated film" but for consumerism, hypocrisy, brainlessness and the spreading of reactionist & sexist gender-roles.

May I add, that Disney is NOT the original creator of the Sleeping Beauty! The Sleeping Beauty is a fairy tale which was handed down through oral tradition and, as such, the original author is unknown. Charles Perrault published a version in his Tales Of Mother Goose in 1697 and the Brothers Grimm also published a version known as 'Briar Rose' in 1812.

How do you like the collection and the mix of it`s influences?