Rodarte’s Spring Summer 2026 collection unfolds like a cinematic reverie, positioned between reality and dream. Kate and Laura Mulleavy drew inspiration from filmic and theatrical sources, creating a series of looks that blur the line between the ordinary and the ethereal. The opening gown — a yellow floral chiffon with voluminous, cloud-like sleeves — immediately set the tone, embodying both domestic familiarity and celestial lightness.

Variations of this motif evolved throughout the collection, each dress carrying its own narrative thread. Slip versions felt more intimate, wrap silhouettes with lace collars leaned into nostalgia, while youthful, abbreviated cuts suggested playful alternate realities. Elsewhere, a cactus motif, illustrated by the designers’ mother, appeared on bias-cut dresses and reemerged in a striking beaded tulle piece, where embroidery seemed to hover weightlessly above the body. This tension between grounding elements and delicate illusion persisted throughout, offering clothes that felt rooted yet suspended.

The Mulleavys’ fascination with light and surface translated into lamé jacquard gowns that shifted their patterns as models moved, creating an almost secret language of hidden shapes. At the same time, their mastery of restraint shone in a series of 1930s-inspired slip dresses, constructed with precision seamwork and subtle contrasts. A peach chiffon with powder blue flowers captured the collection’s essence: fragile, glowing, and alive with an otherworldly beauty.

Rodarte’s latest offering emphasizes atmosphere over spectacle, placing craftsmanship and storytelling at the center. While the dreamscape imagery might risk feeling overly romantic, the execution carried clarity and control, making the fantastical wearable. The result is a collection that reaffirms the brand’s ability to turn cinematic inspiration into garments that exist somewhere between memory and imagination.