Rodarte Grows Up With Sand-Art Shoes And Finger-Painted Prints

"Wearable Rodarte" might feel like as much of an oxymoron as, say, "Casual Liberace," but this season, the magical, fantastical, for-princesses-only brand churned out their most commercial collection yet, with sweaters that look like they'd last more than one wear, and dresses you don't need to crochet yourself into.

The fall '12 collection itself continued in last season's Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman vein, with prairie pinafores, duster coats, sunset hues, and carpet textiles. However grown-up some pieces might have been, we wouldn't start expecting the Mulleavy sisters to let go of their childlike whimsy, quite yet: Those plexiglass shoes were filled with colored sand (just like the bottle art you made in grade school), and that dress was covered with what looks like a finger-painted hand pattern.