Rodarte couture gowns in Florence, coming to L.A.

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Los Angeles designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy received the honor of being invited to present a collection at Pitti W, the women’s counterpart to Pitti Immagine Uomo, Europe’s largest men’s apparel trade show being held in Florence, Italy, this week. And the one-of-a-kind gowns they created for the event will be coming to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art later this year.

PHOTOS: View all the gowns here

The gowns are inspired by Fra Angelico’s colorful Renaissance frescoes in the Convent of San Marco, including the famous ‘Annunciation,’ a must-see on any Florence itinerary, as well as Bernini’s emotional sculpture ‘The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa,’ which is in Rome.

The garments are constructed with feathers, Swarovski crystals, silk georgette, chiffon, organza, satin, taffeta, lamé, sequins and tulle. Four of the gowns incorporate elaborate hand-forged gold metal pieces, including breastplates, belts and head pieces.

Working together with Alexandre de Betak, who produces their runway shows, the Mulleavys created a site-specific installation for the 10 gowns in an empty building in central Florence that features a series of chambers where the pieces are displayed with neon light constructions. (The installation is reminiscent of the one Betak did for the exhibition ‘Rodarte: States of Matter,’ which just closed at L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art at the Pacific Design Center.)

LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director Michael Govan said, “We are thrilled that these works by two exceptional fashion artists from our great city will be coming to LACMA. These stunning designs are a wonderful addition to our costume and textiles collection, which is one of the largest encyclopedic collections in the world, containing everything from ancient textiles to contemporary fashion. Inspired as they are by 15th century European painting, these costumes are a perfect fit for our museum, which strives to create a dialogue between the art of today and that of the past, in all media.’

-- Booth Moore

Photos of Rodarte collection presented at Pitti W in Florence, Italy on Thursday, June 16, 2011. Credit: Autumn de Wilde.

PHOTOS: Rodarte couture gowns

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