Ralph Rucci, though not well known among mainstream fashionistas, is a bit of a legend among established designers. Born and raised in Philly, Ralph Rucci was, in 2001, the first American in 50 years to be invited to show in the Paris Haute Couture collections. That invitation came in response to his ready-to-wear line, Chado Ralph Rucci. Chado is a 400 year old Japanese tea ceremony that seeks to unite harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility—the qualities that Rucci brings to his collections. Um, if you haven’t noticed, Rucci’s not messing around.
Absent from Ralph Rucci’s dresses are the bells and whistles typical of red-carpet wear. He favors small intricate cutouts over excessive crystal embellishments. He tends toward subdued colors such as white, black, silver, and taupe—simple sophisticated colors that don’t draw attention away from the intricate details. Embodying this philosophy was a taupe dress with a delicate cutout vertebrae design along the spine. Here, Rucci seemed to be saying, hey look, fashion’s more than skin deep.
But Rucci doesn’t shy away from drama either: one beautiful white cutout dress had sleeves so big and buoyant they looked like they could have floated up to the ceiling like happy balloons bumbling against the gold hued runway lights. My favorite look, reminiscent of the label’s Japanese roots, was a long a strapless gown with detached kimono sleeves in gold jacquard silk.
Rucci’s collection wasn’t perfect. There was a family of long flowing dresses with graphic prints that just seemed wrong. A black gown looked oddly goth, the model’s wiry frame overwhelmed by the heavy outer skirt with a large face printed on it. A strapless white dress with a red print flowing across the torso would have been gorgeous had it not been embellished with a strange scarf of red and black feathers. The inspiration for this dress clearly came from nature—perhaps a peacock, or fire, or even a peacock on fire—but it lacked the graceful beauty of Rucci’s other work.
Photos—Mikey Pozarik
Front Page Picture: http://www.zimbio.com/Chado+Ralph+Rucci
