Return of the Fashion Jedis (aka The Redemption of Rodarte)

Pardon my French, but Rodarte Fall 2014 was the shit.

To be honest, I wasn't really expecting much from the Mulleavy sisters this time around. After their, ahem, "interesting" Spring 2014 collection that was widely regarded as a bit of a misstep for the usually flawless sister designers, I wasn't exactly waiting on pins and needles for the follow-up.

I must apologize to Rodarte (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) because for a second I had given up hope. As cliche as it might be, Rodarte was one of the shows that got me to really enjoy fashion and see it as something more than just practicality. Their clothes were cool and creative and they were inspired by unique things like Japanese monster movies, and I really appreciated that original approach to designing clothes.

The past few seasons had been shaky, and Rodarte kind of fell from the top of my must-see list. It's sad to admit but true. I kept expecting to fall in love again and again and after a few seasons of just not feeling it, I kind of gave up any expectation.

And maybe that's why I felt such a strong appreciation for Tuesday's show. This wasn't only a strong collection through and through, it was a redemption. 

Well, consider yourself redeemed in the eyes of the fashion world, Kate and Laura.

You should have done Star Wars dresses ages ago.

For a fall collection it was quite full of colors - all the colors of a Tatooine sunset, perhaps. The first looks were rather bohemian in the best, intellectual sense of the word, with girls walking out in colorful berets and shawls draped haphazardly around shoulders.

Then there were the awesome coats. I could imagine how delighted editors and bloggers must have been when they saw the glimmering jackets make their way down the runway, thinking about how that is something they could wear during this horrid polar vortex thing.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing colorful coats. It's so easy to resort to blacks and grays when the weather is less than stellar, and I would absolutely love to wear that sparkly blue coat when the temperature dares to drop below - gasp - 50.

The gowns were divided into two groups - Renaissance and Star Wars. I enjoyed both sections for different reasons, but I must say that the Mulleavy know how to turn something that could come across as kitschy into something that is sassy but also super cool.

The Death Star and Two Moon dresses are the best choices for a starlet who is hoping to geek out but not wear Yoda on her skirt, but even the dress with Luke Skywalker is so perfectly matched to his own ensemble that it doesn't seem that odd to have him there.

My only criticism for this show is that it seemed a bit disjointed, thematically speaking. I don't know if I quite understand how bookish bohemians, Renaissance princesses, and intergalactic Jedis have in common.

I'm not complaining though. I love that this is such a huge improvement for Rodarte, and from what I've heard others are quite pleased with the collection as well!

Props to you, Rodarte. You're back on my list of favorites.