Enter the King: Chado Ralph Rucci
John Galliano once claimed that “the only way forward in fashion is to return to construction,” and although I am sure that Ralph Rucci and John Galliano doesn’t necessarily run in the same circles (even if the world of international fashion is like a small town and getting smaller every day), it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Mr. Rucci likewise subscribes to that same point of view. While some designers are known to jump all over the place in terms of their seasonal inspiration (last season – Inuit Eskimos mixed with essence of Orthodox Jews, this season - the legend of the fallen Mexican Mayan society), Mr. Rucci has a passion for meticulous workmanship and believes that one’s aestheticism should evolve over time, garment by garment, stitch by stitch.
By Phillip D. Johnson
He employs new silhouettes and technical processes as he sees fit and is impervious to external pressures and influences. As a result he, in his work, has managed to (as they say) stuck to his knitting by improving the construction of his designs while adopting new fabrics and techniques in creating exquisite, intricate handcrafted clothes that inspire those who seek refinement in their clothes. Over the years, I have met customers who would proudly proclaim their love for his designs to anyone and everyone around them. At his 25th anniversary collection, I met a longtime customer once who was wearing a piece she bought from him from that his inaugural collection when he first started out in his business. And you couldn’t tell if it as spring 2009 Rucci or a spring 1999 Rucci or fall 1993 Rucci.
Mr. Rucci has a passion for meticulous workmanship and believes that one’s aestheticism should evolve over time, garment by garment, stitch by stitch. But Mr. Rucci, although he believes in incremental continuity, doesn’t believe in being stagnant either. He cherishes
experimentation in
cut, proportion and cnstruction and this
season, his designs
were full of beautiful,
unexpected surprises.
He opened the collection with a classic white neoprene coat. But then he threw away the playbook following that with a daring silver python jacket and a silver python circular banded skirt paired with a beautifully constructed white chiffon button front blouse. Andre Courreges, in the 1960’s, popularized the use of plastic in his space-age inspired designs but for spring 2012, Mr. Rucci took the use of plastic to a whole new level of elegance. Known for his skill in cut-outs that follow the skeleton form of the woman’s body, this season, he inserted latex plastic into the cut-
outs creating a subtle peeka-boo effect. First such design out of the gate was his silk faille** motorcycle jacket with plastic midriff and sleeve cut-outs. After that, it was one lovely surprise after the other. For every piece that is a classic Ralph Rucci, he gave us something new to wrap our brains around. I adored his printed gazar*** coat (clas-
www.fashionmaniac.com
sic Ralph) but I was blown away by his black and nude (with stripes of plastic) faille raincoat and his white heavy wool coat with black circles. His black wool crepe dress with front braided detail was magnificent but he took me to a beautiful place with his black hammered silk and tulle cocktail dress. It was youthful. It was divine.
And so it goes on. Other standout pieces in the collection (at least for me) includes his stunning silver paillette tunic and skirt combo, his silver tunic with paillette pant paired with a clear plastic trench coat and his white wool gown (classic Rucci) with a stunning hot red paillette tube skirt. As if to set us up for the
fall-winter 2012 show in February 2012, he closed the show with another Ralph Rucci Classic: A white horsehair Infanta gown that at once a classic imbued with the new and the youthful.
By Phillip D. Johnson
(The runway images used
were provided by the de-
signer)
**A slightly glossy silk with strongly defined soft, wide
ribs, silk faille is heavy in
weight but maintains a shallow, graceful drape. An ex-
ceptionally soft hand and
readiness to take a crease
makes this fabric beautiful
for use in tailored suits and jackets. Silk faille retains a
light sheen that draws atten-
tion to its premium silk fibers,
without being too glossy for
the workplace or formal settings
***Gazar (also gazaar) is a
silk or wool plain weave fabric made with high-twist dou-
ble yarns woven as one. Gazar has a crisp hand and a smooth texture.