Chado Ralph Rucci - Couturier Extroadinaire
Designer Celebrates National Design Award & Stunning Spring '09 Show
Nov 11, 2008
American couturier Ralph Rucci, famed for his intricate architectural pieces and razorlike cuts has more reasons than usual to celebrate this fall.
In addition to showing a stunning collection for Spring Summer 2009 at New York Fashion Week in September, the designer has just been honored (October 23, 2008) for his achievements to fashion at the National Design Awards in New York.
Ralph Rucci was also the subject of a recent documentary for the Sundance Channel on September 22, in their week of fashion programming entitled Ralph Rucci: A Designer and His House.
Harper’s Bazaar, in their article of October 2008 ‘Ralph Rucci’s Rich Rewards” quotes devotee Deeda Blair as saying “Ralph Rucci’s clothes reflect a deeply personal vision: rigorous workmanship, refinement, grace and imagination.”
In 2002 the couturier became the first American designer since Mainbocher in the 1930s to be invited to show at the haute couture collections by the Paris’ Chambre Syndicale in Paris under his own name.
Chado Ralph Rucci Spring 2009
Having previously decamped to Paris, Ralph Rucci’s first New York fashion show in 2-years delighted his core constituency of chic mature women.
The designs also appealed to a younger crowd this season, his cheeky cutout outfits as they were lighter and a little more daring, with an element of modern and sexy.
From impeccably sculpted suits to Rucci’s signature distinctive dome-skirted dresses, keywords of the collection were transparency and texture, and geometrics and cutouts, which cheekily revealed hints of flesh. Some of the most dynamic designs were a fuchsia cocktail dress with rib-like cutouts, a long and lean white maxi dress with geometric inserts and a chic sharply tailored white pantsuit with military-style braiding, and teasing triangular cutouts at the waist.
Who is Ralph Rucci?
Ralph Rucci, the son of a Philadelphia butcher, moved to New York to study design at the Fashion Institute of Technology after graduating from Temple University, where he majored in literature and philosophy. He launched his first collection in 1981 and later, in 1994, renamed his In 1994 Rucci renamed his womenswear line “Chado” after a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. The intricate ceremony requires as many as 331 precise actions involved in the preparation, serving and drinking of tea. The traditional ceremony nvolves life-long learning, respect, grace and tranquility; qualities that Rucci fels reflect his own designs.
In 2002 he began presenting Haute Couture in Paris. He’s been twice nominated for CFDA Designer of the Year, being respected in the industry for his innovative approaches to cut and construction.
The Chado Label
The Chado label is known for its sculptural, architectural lines, laser-cut jackets, satin suits and narrow pants. His clean, architecturally sculpted designs are distinctive for their luxurious fabrics and neutral palette which define both his both his ready-to-wear and couture garments. Rucci does not follow mainstream fashion trends and creative construction is at the center of his design philosophy. He employs a small staff which includes his sister, who works with him at his atelier on Seventh Avenue in New York.
From 2005-2006 The Kent University Museum featured an exhibition of his designs which proved the first major public display of his work. Rucci was also the subject of a recent 2008 exhibition at The Kelly Elman Fashion Design Gallery at the Phoenix Art Museum.
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