Phillip D. Johnson believes that the fall 2004 Chado Ralph Rucci collection marks a positive turning-point for the label on its ascent of fashion’s Mt Olympus

PHOTOGRAPHED BY RICHARD SPIEGEL
BACKSTAGE PHOTOGRAPHED BY THE AUTHOR
COUTURE PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAN LECCA

T THE END OF RALPH RUCCI’S fall 2004 ready-to-wear presentation in February, he received one of the only two standing ovations given by the fashion crowd this year at the shows at Bryant Park. It was richly deserved. And this season, this esteemed group was smaller than ever, considering we have just come off a spring 2004 presentation where there was so much to love and be excited about.
   As an unabashed fan of Mr Rucci’s work, his fall collection more than made up for the disappointments we suffered leading up to his show. A fan and devotee of the work of the legendary Pauline Trigere and Norman Norell, his devotion to high quality and exquisite workmanship has continually lifted him to new heights of creativity, with each collection building on the one that came before. His steadfast belief in an unsurpassable standard of excellence echoes the æsthetic by which he lives. As some people in the business have said, this is a rare commodity these days.
   This collection was so monumental in its scope it left us breathless. As is his modus operandi of the past several years, Mr Rucci continues to expand his repertoire by further lightening up on the solemn heaviness that had once defined his place in the fashion firmament. He has found new and exciting means to introduce different ways of draping, sewing and cutting in his designs. Throughout the collection, he surprised us all with wonderful new variations on finishing off the pieces, adding a completely different range of wow factors to what is already beyond ‘Wow.’

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A devotee of the work of the legendary Pauline Trigere and Norman Norell, Ralph Rucci’s devotion to high quality and exquisite workmanship has continually lifted him to new heights of creativity