Xena and Rodarte

The sword and sandal sub-genre is all the rage in the collection by Rodarte(Kate and Laura Mulleavy). From tribal tattoos to leather lacing, the show screams “ancient warrior woman” a la Xena and Red Sonja.  With the help of dry ice mist and an unearthly green light, Rodarte transforms the runway into a fantasy world of witches, warriors, and apocalyptic wonder.  There are glimpses of both Highlander and Mad Max in the mix as well:

Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) from Highlander and Rodarte

Highlander takes the ancient magic of the past and moves it to the present day, similar to the interweaving of tartan fabrics into several of Rodarte’s modern outfits.  In the opposite corner, the Mad Max-esque (or circa 1985 Kurgan-esque) black leather patchwork outfits are both futuristic and primitive, taking the future back to the past:

Max (Mel Gibson) from Mad Max 2 and Rodarte

The collection is awesomely fierce and dramatic, made for any fantasy realm in the past, present, or future.  I would love if this could inspire an entirely new look for the modern warrior woman or post-apocalyptic wanderer!

See more of Rodarte’s collection at style.com.

(All images of Rodarte are the property of style.com; images from Xena distributed by Universal TV; images of Highlander distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation; images of Mad Max 2 distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures)