The Girls With the Flowers in Their Hair Bloom for Rodarte’s Spring Show

By Celia Ellenberg, VOGUE

Arriving backstage at the 16th-century cloister on Paris’ left bank for Rodarte’s Spring show this morning was slightly disorienting for two reasons: the first had to do with the piles of fresh baby’s breath that hairstylist Odile Gilbert’s team was snipping and pinning—into barrettes, wired wreaths, and satin ribbons in shades of pink, black and white—which made the room feel more like a flower shop than a runway prep zone. The second was that we were nearly 3,600 miles away from the 22nd street Chelsea gallery where sisters Laura and Kate Mulleavy usually show their collections. “We wanted to do something magical,” Gilbert said of the naturalistic hair accessories that were inspired by the venue’s lush courtyard and perfected by L.A.-based floral designer Joseph Free, who flew in for the occasion.

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And it was magical. All 50 models had a different hair design that was used to embellish defused lengths texturized with Bumble and bumble’s Surf Foam Spray Blow Dry, and to accentuate the specific shade and cut of the exquisite tulle, lace, chiffon and leather dresses and separates on view. Bird of Paradise petals pinned into free-flowing tendrils complimented a floral bouquet held like a minaudière; flower-dotted, metallic, bow-shaped clips aligned with belts and arm cuffs molded into the same shape. The baby’s breath, which added another level of ethereal to a haute couture week debut that was blessed with the day’s first rays of sunshine following hours of cold rain, reappeared as both boa and clutched-accessory on the runway. “People say romantic is boring,” Gilbert said as she affixed a few additional strands of flowers into model Kiki Willems copper-colored hair. “But every girl in the world wants to look like this. We need romance more now than ever.”

PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 02: A model walks the runway during the Rodarte Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2017-2018 show as part of Haute Couture Paris Fashion Week on July 2, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/WireImage)

Photographed by Jason Lloyd-Evans

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Photo: Getty Images

Photographed by Jason Lloyd-Evans

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Photo: Getty Images

Photographed by Jason Lloyd-Evans

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