8 posts tagged "Kate and Laura Mulleavy"
Alaïa’s Aria
In May of 2012, the L.A. Philharmonic launched its Mozart/Da Ponte project—a three-year-long commitment to staging the pair’s trio of eighteenth-century operatic masterpieces: Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, and Cosi Fan Tutte. Last year, the institution partnered with California natives Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte and architect Frank Gehry to create the Don Giovanni costumes and set, respectively. This year, for its The Marriage of Figaro production, the L.A. Phil sourced talents from across the pond, tapping Azzedine Alaïa for costumes and Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel for the set. Under the helm of conductor Gustavo Dudamel and director Christopher Alden, Alaïa (who’s also preparing for a solo exhibition of his work at Paris’ Musée Galliera this fall) has created rich wares for the opera’s female and male cast, marking the first time in our memory that he’s tried his hand at menswear. The designer stuck to his signature knit silhouettes for the onstage looks, infusing them with a hint of metallic and bead detailing to catch the spotlight. Alaïa’s original sketches for the leads—Count and Countess Almaviva, played by Christopher Maltman and Dorothea Röschmann—debut exclusively above.
The Marriage of Figaro: May 17, 19, 23, 25, Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012. For tickets, visit www.laphil.com.
Legends of the Toile
The Rodarte sisters are probably feeling pretty proud about now. After only eight years on the scene, Kate and Laura Mulleavy have officially been deemed industry legends by The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, which, WWD reports, will honor the Rodarte designers with its Legend of Fashion award on May 3. Previous recipients include Ikram Goldman and Cynthia Rowley.
Can’t Beat the Real Thing
Despite last night’s spontaneous blizzard, designers and fashion fixtures headed to Finale NYC to fête the launch of eBay and the CFDA’s 2013 You Can’t Fake Fashion tote collection. Marking the pair’s third collaborative effort to fight counterfeits and support authentic design, the new range features 90 one-of-a-kind canvas tote bags that have been customized by designers like Prabal Gurung (above, center), Pamela Love, Band of Outsiders’ Scott Sternberg (above, right), and Rodarte’s Kate and Laura Mulleavy (above, left). The designer-embellished bags are available for purchase via eBay auction through March 25 for a starting price of $100. The initiative is also offering a new standard tote for a “buy it now” price of $50. Proceeds will go toward combating fakes.
“As artists, we work so hard to create something, and then it gets knocked off,” said Rebecca Minkoff. “This is a great platform to ensure authenticity.” Carly Cushnie of Cushnie et Ochs concurs, and suggested that there’s security in knowing her and her design partner Michelle Ochs’ work is protected. “The CFDA has a voice that brings everyone together to preserve design integrity,” she said.
In addition to the likes of CFDA CEO Steven Kolb, Jeffrey Costello, Robert Tagliapietra, and Rebecca Taylor, Ruffian’s Brian Wolk and Claude Morais turned up to rally for the cause. And, according to Morais, they have a particularly special relationship with eBay. “We’re always using the site as a reference point. Right now it’s all about the 1920s and the hunt for the perfect embroidered dress.” We’re sensing a Jazz Age vibe for the team’s Spring ’14.
SPiN-sters Take L.A.
Having already proven to be a smacking success in New York, Toronto, and Milwaukee, SPiN, Susan Sarandon’s Ping-Pong club that made the sport the hip set’s unofficial pastime of choice, has opened in L.A. And where else could such a club exist but at André Balazs’ Standard Downtown? Last night’s launch party saw the likes of Chelsea Handler, Vincent Gallo, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, and Olympic table tennis player Erica Wu crowd around the tables at SPiN Standard L.A.—some playing, some observing. As it’s now open to the public, anyone can book a table for a quick afternoon game or a late-night tourney (they’re open from noon until 2 a.m.). Or, if your Ping-Pong skills aren’t up to snuff, cheer on your favorite player from the bar—no, not the juice bar. It’s not that kind of sports club.
SPiN is located at 550 South Flower Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071, 213.439.3065
Can’t Sit Still
Fact: GIFs have been around for 25 years. Only recently, however, has the world caught on to this moving picture format. (We admit, we have spent our fair share of time at Style.com toying around with them.) Needless to say, when we caught wind of a new digital GIF exhibition, we were intrigued. Starting today, Paddle8 and Tumblr are accepting GIF submissions via Tumblr (through November 17), to be judged by a panel of fashion and art experts like Johnny Misheff, Michael Stipe, the Rodarte sisters, Nicola Formichetti, Richard Phillips, James Frey, and Vinoodh Matadin & Inez van Lamsweerde. The chosen GIFs will be displayed at a physical exhibition, entitled Moving the Still, at Art Basel Miami in December. In the meantime, feast your eyes on original GIFS created by leading artists including Nick Knight, Casey Spooner, and Stipe, on view at MovingTheStill.tumblr.com. Here, an exclusive first look at the GIF created by Kate and Laura Mulleavy for the project.