With her Rodeo Bodeo collection, Emily Adams Bode Aujla delivered a vision of small-town America that’s a respite from what’s shown on the nightly news. Be mindful, however, that the designer is not into cultivating nostalgia; rather, she said, “I just enjoy thinking about the past to live in the present.”
Still, the Bodeland she summoned for fall had storybook appeal; one can easily imagine it being home to red painted barns, stables, 4-H shows where kids win satin ribbons, and Blue Jeans and Chaps competitions like those the designer participated in as a child, riding her beloved, blind-in-one-eye Pony of the Americas, Checkers. His history as a retired barrel racer sent her and her team researching the history of rodeo events and attire. The result was a more-than-Westernwear collection that included references to costumes, clowns, the circus, and utility.
“The rodeo is so interesting because it’s a sport that really derived from work,” the designer noted. “It was a chance for people across America to show their expertise in different ways, like ranching or roping skills.” The brand’s collaboration with Levi’s continued this story, jeans being quintessential American workwear. Bode’s come in two washes; the designer refers to those with trimmings down the side (jewels, copper, or ribbon) as “button-jar styles.” As her label turns 10, she was thinking about Bode basics, so trusty favorites like pajama suits, sailor pants, thematic sweaters and prints, and decorated flapper dresses all made appearances.
For men, the narrow suiting stood out, as did twists on black tie, such as wearing a tux with a plaid Western shirt or a cummerbund and side-striped pants with a T-shirt. Many of the styles were repeated, with different fits for men and women. Especially for her was a flowered bra inspired by a crepe-paper costume, and an elaborately embroidered and fringed jacket was paired with sheer black pants speckled with gold sequined flowers. Those clothes weren’t meant for navigating cans (barrel racing being, according to the show notes, “the only regularly sanctioned women’s event in professional rodeos”) but rather for stylish evenings, in or out of Bodeland.
