March 17--As Los Angeles' many and varied fashion weeks were stumbling into the starting gate, hometown brand Rodarte celebrated its collaboration with Swedish label Other Stories with a downtown L.A. dinner party attended by a fashion show front row's worth of celebrities, including Katy Perry, Dakota Fanning, Zoey Deutch, Bella Heathcote and Riley Keough.
Held in the art-filled Lincoln Heights apartment of artist Elliot Hundley -- a longtime friend of Rodarte designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy -- the dinner's other guests included Catherine Opie, Gia Coppola, Langley Fox, Kim Gordon, Vogue magazine West Coast Editor Lisa Love, Vanity Fair magazine West Coast Editor Krista Smith as well as designers and a handful of other folks from the 2-year-old H Other Stories brand. (Yes, the brand's full -- and sometimes confusing -- name includes the ampersand.)
"We've collaborated with West Coast brands in the past, including Clare Vivier -- twice," said Other Stories public relations manager Elke Kieft, "and Rodarte has always been high on our list. We've been working on making this happen for the last year and a half."
The result of those efforts is a patchwork-heavy, easy-to-wear range of women's apparel, jewelry and shoes with a through line of texture (think suede, ribbed knits, silk and crushed velvet), and sparkles of light (thanks to crystals, rhinestones, metallic leathers and Lurex knits), some 49 pieces in all.
The ready-to-wear prices range from $65 for chiffon tops and crushed velvet shorts to $325 for a sequined dress. Shoe offerings include sparkly leather sandals ($175) and patchwork-patterned metallic leather and suede boots ($425). The jewelry -- themed around the kind of heart and star shapes one might find in bowl of Lucky Charms -- runs from $29 rings and earrings to $60 necklaces.
Many of the notable names in attendance were wearing pieces from the collection, including dinner co-host Fanning, who wore a black merino wool dress sprinkled with rhinestones; actress (and Elvis Presley's granddaughter) Keough, who paired a pajama-inspired silk top with red, crushed velvet shorts; actress Heathcote, who went with one of the patchworked leather skirts; and Finnish model Suvi Koponen, who opted for a striped, long-sleeved Lurex sweater. (Perry appeared to be wearing a straight-up Rodarte dress.)
Soon, collaborative collections such as the ones with Rodarte and Clare Vivier may not be the only SoCal connection for the label, since, according to Kieft, design ateliers in Paris and Stockholm may soon be joined by one in the City of Angels. We've also heard rumors that a SoCal retail store may also be in the works for sometime in the fall. For now, the label's physical presence in the United States is limited to two New York City stores.
And it's in those stores -- as well as the stories.com website -- where the Rodarte Other Stories collection can be purchased.
