I've been lying low and not really sewing but I have been catching up on a few knitting UFOs.
I was fortunate enough to be in NYC on Wednesday and have time to go by Bergdorf Goodman to take a peek at the Chado Ralph Rucci fall trunkshow. (photo courtesy of www.style.com) By the time I arrived I was tired, having been on my feet far too long, and was feeling a little shy. The boutique was busy with Mr. Rucci talking to people who were actually buying the garments so I pretty much stayed out of the way and just fondled and examined as much as I could.
The clothes themselves were really incredible although I am having trouble putting my impressions into words. It is rare that I see a collection of clothes that strikes such awe. The online photos really do not do the clothes justice. What really amazes me is that the basic silhouettes of the garments are quite classic and simple, he works with a fairly well defined set of shapes, but the workmanship and the design detail were absolutely fabulous. The fabrics were incredibly high quality, the techniques were unusual, and few garments had seams in the expected classic places yet they looked exactly as if they were the way they were meant to be. The collection really combines great tailoring skill, with an understanding of the architecture of women's bodies and an artists eye. There was no piece that was ho-hum and yet each piece was quite wearable. I am constantly amazed at how he uses seams, combining interesting design with fitting and structural support. There were many garments of double-faced wool, cashmere or chinchilla (I am not sure what) butt-seamed together or constructed and bar tacked, joined with leather strips or joined with pieces of stretch illusion like fabric. Often spectacularly detailed seaming added design interest and structure in lieu of layers of interfacing -- the structure was a part of the design, not hidden behind the lining -- and yet, none of these clothes would look out of place or "funny" in any part of the country.
They were, for the most part pretty formal clothes. Suits, beautiful coats "I'm mad about coats" I overheard Ralph Rucci say to a customer, beautiful tailored, fitted dresses that were perfectly timeless and modern all at once. The work reminds me of Geoffrey Beene, if anyone, in that it has that modern almost apart from fashion look that was so appealing in the best of Beene's collections.
I have been thinking about the collection a lot. I did overwalk, and my battered leg was swollen and painful the next two days so I was pretty much holed up at home. Mostly I think looking at these clothes reminds me to take pride in workmanship and to be more daring in solving fitting problems, trying to incorporate the solutions into the design of the garments. I am reminded to be more open-minded, to take chances and to be less bound by "rules", ever realizing that it takes great understanding of the process and the techniques involved to break the rules.
There are definitely things I could learn from these clothes, although they are definitely "city" clothes, and as such, not as appropriate to my wardrobe as they once were; simple but far to sophisticated for puttering about the garden and running to Home Depot, the farm stand, or the local nursery.
Increasingly I am learning that I have a closet full of beautiful clothtes, many of which I have made, although by no means all, and which I wear less and less frequently. I don't need to wear a suit everyday anymore. Will I still make signature garments? Yes, in time, as I enjoy the process too much to give it up. But now is the time to make quick causal things and simple garments and oddly, that is what I am leaning toward doing although it is really a different kind of sewing for me. I have not come to this easily. There was a time when I hated to sew quick simple clothes. It has taken me a couple of years really, but I am settling into my new lifestyle and I am finding I like more casual and even arty styles than I would have once imagined possible.
Well, sewing is always an education and often and adventure. Have fun.
