If he can win over The New York Times’ Cathy Horyn, he should be able to win over more customers

Written by Phillip D. Johnson
Photographed by Richard Spiegel

HADO, a centuries-old Japanese tea ceremony, consists of 331 distinctive steps, which when performed properly, creates an overall sense of grace and elegance. The principles behind Chado—harmony, respect, purity, integrity and tranquillity—are also quite apparent in Mr Rucci’s designs.
   Ralph Rucci, a native of Philadelphia, is one of those designers who operate far under the radar of his more famous peers such as Donna Karan, Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs. For the people in the fashion press who have never bothered to attend any of his shows over the years, he is a mystery. But for those of us, who did and continue to do so, he has long been the master of the quiet seduction. His work is an amalgamation of his college studies of philosophy and literature, his later appreciation of the fine arts, and his particular æsthetic as influenced by artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Robert Motherwell and Cy Twombly. He also takes inspiration from historical fashion figures such as Cristobal Balenciaga, Mme Grès and Charles James, which led him to attempt to establish himself as a couturier.
   God is in the details at Chado Ralph Rucci. Season after season, Mr Rucci designs clothing that fulfils a self-imposed mandate: high-quality clothes using only the most beautiful fabrics with a lot of hidden bells and whistles. Never one to load down his designs with over-adornments, he excites his customers with a meticulousness and attention to detail that has won him many fans (and fanatics) among store buyers such as Neiman Marcus’s Joan Kaner and retired American designer James Galanos. He has even managed to create a fan in The New York Times’ chief fashion critic, Cathy Horyn, who is not known for being a fan to most American designers or a supporter of their efforts.

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