Chado Ralph Rucci Spring 2009
Chado Ralph Rucci Spring 2009

NEW YORK, Sep 15, 2008 / FW/ — Closing the New York Spring 2009 season, Ralph Rucci, who has been named ‘Mercedes-Benz Presents’ designer unveiled a collection that is focused on the tension between structure and weightlessness.

Adapting his ajouré or openwork on seams on garments that has become his signature for his haute couture pieces into ready-to-wear, and then experimenting with transparency and texture, Ralph Rucci used the weight differences of fabric to move from ‘flou’ to ‘tailleur’ within one garment.

From daywear to eveningwear, Ralph Rucci use haute couture techniques to create extraordinary pieces, that though the entire collection is ready-to-wear, the quality of work is so high that the hallmarks of haute couture were achieved.

Take the white satin-faces cotton coatdress. It appears to be made from blistered fabric, like cloqué, in reality, it is covered with tiny, diagonal pintucks shaped with double-headed nails.

One of the handful of designers in the whole world who can rightfully claim the title grand couturier, Ralph Rucci is a modernist working in a traditional vernacular. Adapting the centuries-old techniques of haute couture into today’s environment, Rucci’s vision of fashion is refined and modern at the same time.

[MARI DAVIS]
Photos courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

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