Lorod’s Lauren Rodriguez is one of the rare young designers these days to openly discuss her mood board and references. (Now is a time when vague stabs at “serving our woman” and “no inspiration” have become the cool declarations, no matter how false they might ring.) Rodriguez doesn’t simply cut and paste from her mood boards into her collection, however, and that’s what makes her seasonal mental extrapolations at Lorod exciting.
For prefall she was thinking of all the contradictions in late-’50s and early-’60s culture: space-age technical innovations brushing up against traditionalism and conservative family values. Americana and Westernwear are familiar themes for Rodriguez; infusing them with a technical, almost futuristic jolt gave her some new ideas. Most interesting was a wrinkled polyester in Space Station silver and inky black. Unlike other polys, she noted, this one breathes easy, so the wearer doesn’t overheat. The fabric was cut into straight-leg trousers, half-zip shirts, and wrap skirts, though its most genius iteration was a wrap dress made of a single piece of fabric that tucked and buttoned around the body. It’s eveningwear at its most casual, or styled with jeans, a clever take on a tunic. It’s also made, mostly, of recycled materials.
Elsewhere, Rodriguez experimented in reversible knitwear, burgundy corduroy, and a black dance dress of collaged polyester and wool. There’s a new five-pocket jean for die-hard fans of her denim, and a swervy gingham print in green and chestnut that, while a little “Prada spring 2008,” looked covetable. Best marks go to Rodriguez’s expanded suiting, which is made of a spongy fabric that’s soft on the inside and crisp on its exterior. Space Age meets tradition meets modernity, all wrapped up in something people will be eager to wear.
