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   However, to truly appreciate what he has accomplished so well with his fall 2004 collection, one has to only look back at the spring 2004 haute couture collection he presented in Paris on January 22, which also garnered high praise from fashion critics and store buyers alike. The haute couture collection bears the nucleus of the full blossoming of the brilliance that was the fall 2004 collection. The birth of almost every design that came down the runway in February could be traced to the haute couture collection shown in January and that, dear readers, is a fabulously good thing. With these two collections, Mr Rucci effectively highlighted the concept of what is "old Ralph"—which is not used in a derogatory sense here—and "new Ralph".
   "Old Ralph" is the pieces we have grown to expect from him: the beautiful jackets in gros de longres silk; his expert use of animal skins (crocodile dyed in various colours, etc); the simple yet elegant cut of his suits, and the way in which he incorporates fur, feathers and embroidery detailing in his designs. All this is instinctive and comes from his many years of experience working with top-flight fabric houses and artisans. Examples of this include his classic chartreuse double-faced wool–silk suit, his chartreuse silk gros de longres raincoat paired with straight leg black mohair pants, a taupe ombre chiffon pyjama and mushroom faille coat, and his alabaster faille infanta evening gown—all from the haute couture collection. Corresponding designs from the fall 2004 collection would include his stunning honey sable poncho jacket paired with nutmeg-coloured suede jeans, his copper cashmere–lambskin jacket and skirt suit, a to-die-for plaid cashmere–wool coat paired with an ivory cashmere skirt and topped off by a gorgeous knitted sable scarf, and his high neck brown wool crêpe–lambskin monk dress.
   "New Ralph" is Mr Rucci’s attempts to introduce new design details into his overall repertoire such as a new lightness, intricate new sewing techniques and exciting new textures. In a pre-show backstage interview, Mr Rucci attributed this to his ‘venture into the haute couture arena which has enhanced his ability to better judge the needs of his clients.’ The best examples of "new Ralph" in his haute couture show includes a taupe cotton–silk dress with an apron-cut A-line skirt, a sexy black double-faced braided sheath dress with cut-out detailing on the bust and hemline, an ecru shantung shirtwaist dress with a shredded organza under-skirt and an elegant blonde silk chiffon dress with fishnet detailing. Some of these very designs did reappear in the fall collection, significantly improved. The silk chiffon dress mentioned above was morphed into his equally fantastic grey chiffon tweed dress with artfully frayed edges, one of the bigger hits of the collection. The list of other noteworthy "new Ralph" designs must include his guinea hen feather evening jacket, a deceptively simple square-necked black wool–silk dress, a beautiful black pleated tulle and mouselline cocktail dress with a tulle sheer back detailing and an olive-black paillette sheath dress with an olive boucle coat.

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Spring 2004 haute couture, Paris	Fall 2004 prêt-à-porter, New York

“New Ralph” is Mr Rucci’s attempts to introduce new design details into his overall repertoire such as a new lightness, intricate new sewing techniques and exciting new textures