Ralph Rucci Fall 2013: Which girl will prevail?

Ralph Rucci Fall 2013 - New York Fashion Week

A look at the Ralph Rucci Fall 2013 runway show at Lincoln Center. (photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week)

The Chado Ralph Rucci girl exuded an unparalleled luxury – who could forget the majestic kimono dress with gold threads hammered together in Kyoto from Spring 2010? The Ralph Rucci Fall 2013 girl, on the other hand, is a question mark. She dares to show more skin, showing off an intriguing combination of simpler styling and a dominatrix-inspired assuredness, the latter still managing to retain the Philadelphia designer’s signature elegance.

Elements of Chado’s artistic past remain, one example being the blurred art print of a human face on a thin blouse. Overall, the result is a bit more glam and – dare we suggest – more commercial, perhaps to win the approval of the American public that Rucci has sought for so long. The show opened with two black mixed material numbers followed by a parade of similarly styled pastel colored mink jackets paired with skirts. Cutouts punctuated black blazers, while shiny black leather pants completed other looks. A bright pink sequined jacket, a floor-length sequined dress with a purple top and copper bottom, tasseled belts tied around hands, and thigh-high black laced and clear plastic Manolo Blahnik boots, were delightfully less minimalist elements that may have missed the cut for Chado. Time will ultimately tell which type of girl will fall for his latest collection: the longtime Chado customer wanting to show some attitude, or the downtown rebel wanting a bit more uptown sensibility in her life.

Credits:

Furs: Ralph Rucci for Pologeorgis Furs
Make-up: Tom Pecheux and the MAC PRO team
Hair: Laurent Philippon for Bumble and bumble
Shoes: Ralph Rucci by Manolo Blahnik
Gloves: Ralph Rucci by Samantha Nguyen
Embroideries: Jean Pierre Ollier, Karisma, Brocade Creations, Couture Embroidery and McIntyre