Ralph Rucci may have found his ideal method of showing: an intimate runway presentation at his Soho studio. After all, making an emotional impact with private appointments is tough, and Rucci says of his former digs at Bryant Park: "Fifteen-hundred people at the tents—it s a little oppressive for me." The energy at tonight s show, attended by dedicated Rucci-ites like Deeda Blair, Carmen Dell Orefice, and Iris Apfel, was anything but that. From the first look out—a sizzling-hot lipstick red Mongolian lamb chubby over a sheer blouse and over-the-knee red boots—it was clear that this was no ordinary Rucci collection.
"I wanted to challenge myself, because I m bored of the formula," Rucci said of his neutral departure. He pushed his new crimson agenda straight for 11 looks, which included a sable parka, his signature lean and long Dalai Lama coat, and a kicky little skin-baring jersey dress. The last of these was sexy, young, and very chic. Not what Chado usually connotes, although Rucci takes umbrage at that idea: "I don t understand the perception that I just make clothes for women over 50," he said.
Well, there were a few things here for that youthful clientele—and not just uptown lasses, either. We could see a cool girl like Jen Brill or Vanessa Traina flipping over the black feathered fox sweatshirt, a semi-sheer tank dress with knotted laddering up the sides, and perhaps even a slouchy pearl-encrusted twinset. And, of course, there was more than enough for Blair, et al. As Rucci grandly stated, "I show a variety because that s what style is. This is not fashion; it s style."
