'Star Wars' Dresses Bring the Force to NYC Fashion Show

by Miriam Kramer, Staff Writer

NEW YORK — Yoda and high fashion may make a surprising pair, but that's what audience members at Rodarte's New York Fashion Week show experienced Tuesday (Feb. 11).

Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the minds behind the Rodarte brand of clothing and accessories, rolled out a series of dresses inspired by "Star Wars" during their show. Each of the gowns featured characters or iconic images from the original trilogy. The five special sci-fi dresses served as the finale to their show.

Luke Skywalker stands looking off into the distance at the bottom of one dress, while Yoda looks wise in the swamps of Dagobah on another. C-3PO and R2-D2 trudge along the lower portion of a white ensemble, and the Death Star is splashed across a black gown. The twin suns of Tatooine shine in a purple sky on another printed and embroidered dress. [10 Alien Worlds that Resemble 'Star Wars' Planets]

"We couldn't have done a collection like this and not included 'Star Wars'," Kate Mulleavy told the Los Angeles Times. "Those films represent for us a time when anything was possible."

"And it's so rare that you can use a film still as artwork and have it look like a painting. It's so beautiful," Laura Mulleavy added.

The Mulleavy sisters' "Star Wars" credibility isn't a total shock. George Lucas attended a Rodarte fashion show in 2012, according to the Telegraph.

"Star Wars" is heading back to the big screen with a new film scheduled for release in 2015. "Star Wars: Episode VII" is expected to begin shooting in May with J.J. Abrams as the director.

Another designer embraced his cosmic sensibilities during fashion week. The Organic by John Patrick show used NASA images as a backdrop for the somewhat monochromatic, lunar looks presented this week.

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