ChadoRalphRucci has a reality check of sorts.

This collection and Ralph Rucci are and endless source of fascination. His imagination is so fertile, so informed by art, culture,history and a dogged refusal to take the easy route. The energy and passion that goes into every single detail is evident in everything he does. This makes him, to my thinking,one of the most creative and original designers in this country and the world. This isn't news to anyone who's aware of his work. What is news is that with cataclysmic changes in the world and society, designers sooner or later have to re-frame their approach to stay in sync with the world at large. Sure, they will always have their loyal clients and some loyal stores but it's always going to be an exercise in drawing new interest and new business to stay alive. It's also a time where one must push ones own personal boundaries to stay current or even to move ahead of the wave. Spring 2010 is a dichotomy of that challenge and for the most part it feels as though he won a personal battle, or certainly made strides towards a more modern solution.

The very thing that sets Rucci apart are the things that ultimately pull him down. His excessive,neurotic approach to technique are the magic of his clothes.Not a soul on the planet has done more for the art of working out the most complex examples of fabric insertion,double face seaming and the manipulation of puzzle pieces to create a whole. They confound and seduce the eye and must be incredibly exciting for his clients to wear. When a woman enters a room in Chado , there's absolutely no confusion. This is a great compliment to his unique and recognizable style but also a limitation. After several years the look has stayed somewhat static and overwrought. Now is the time to confound and take the public off guard.

This collection in many ways seems to have done that or started the process. There were surprises from the beginning. The first exit was a black blazer, white blouse and trousers. Very little of it appeared to be overwhelmed with mind bending detail. A series of cocktail dresses with simple pin tucks and a fluid shape were simply beautiful and perfectly made. Elegant and modern and ultimately mysterious in their beauty. To see a dress on a woman like these one would just stare at her and not say,"oh, that's Chado...." There were a few sporty suits which consisted of easy, unfussy coats/jackets over sexy simple tops and skirts that just said ,"cool".

Cocktail and evening was also satisfying when he kept the fireworks under control. There were beautiful shapes with a mix of fabrics broken into bands from opaque to sheer and back to opaque that were young, smart and beautifully executed. Obvious quality and value is a beautiful thing to behold. If you have to pay dearly, you might as well get your money's worth. His prices are consistently so high that they've made it almost impossible for anyone to touch. Simplicity married to the best quality may be a way to bring the feast to a larger audience, if in fact that is his desire. I'm not clear on that, at all.

Long evening at it's best was very clean with only the lightest touches of brilliant , mathematical construction. It flattered the model in a way that made it seem accessible to a woman of taste and not just the inhabitants of the convent. The pyrotechnically infused pieces were there and were awesome to behold. They just don't have the same effect as they used to. It has become a recipe,a 5 star recipe but one that is predictable. If the show had been edited by 1/4 it would have been a perfect feast for the eyes and soul. His introduction of beautiful clothes with a restraint of details was the news. The war horses of which he is known could now be the staples left in the show room.

It gets better,one day at a time. (AA mantra) Spring 09 Collections

Things start to percolate with Oscar de la Renta,Calvin Klein, Narciso Rodriguez and Ralph Rucci.The sun came out, the tackiest Russian Fashion Casualistas were EVERYWHERE, and some memorable ,even directional collections hit the runways at a full gallop!

Mr. Costa at Calvin presented a beautifully austere and even antiseptic collection , all geometry realized in fabrics derived through pure physics. It was a heady, intellectual romp down a dead serious runway. But what was so refreshing was the notion of his collection practically whispering to the gathered crowd,"Walk don't Run." The shapes were exactly that...SHAPES. These clothes challenged the imagination, created illusions on the body that were totally unique , spare and so very very modern. Ok, so they are a self conscious effort that only really strong independent minded women will look natural in. All the others will doubtlessly look in over their heads in angled ovoid dresses and covering layers over separates. I say covering layers and Ovoids, because these clothes and shapes call for a new vocabulary. They are the future,with which we've been visited . But modern they most certainly are. His offering is an non-FDA approved drug that women owe it to them selves to test. I would take a handful, toss it all down with a big glass of TAP water and wait for the malaise to evaporate.

Oscar de la Renta is becoming a paradox. I can honestly, but not without a degree of shame, admit only 2 times at fashion shows did I walk out in tears. Once at a Geoffrey Beene show 13 years ago and a show of Oscars about 6 or so years ago. I cried at Beene because it felt as though I'd witnessed something so beyond belief and beauty, that I thought there would never ever be another collection worth considering. Like watching a first true love walk away and know what it was you had and also know you'd never see it or feel it again. With Oscars show, also a spring collection, my reaction was equally intense but for a different reason. I felt I'd witnessed the the perfect summation of the most classically chic ,sexy and perfectly proportioned collection that any one in America could ever create. It was so smart, had humor, an over the top quality, but all grounded in a reality to strive for. It was cathartic in its completeness. Everything fit. Everything worked. Yes, there was some gratuitous CHACHA in there but the balance was as sharp as a razor. No Waterloos in sight. I was moved, so the tears came and I went home feeling again like having witnessed a miracle of sorts.
So I was left a bit disturbed with this collection. All the requisite elements were present, the richness, the measured effects so as not to overwhelm, the assured sense of absolute purity of chic and glamour......just no soul. A bit like a sexual fantasy versus actual sex. Lots of pretty clothes, but not young like in recent seasons. The Saint Laurent effect seemed to invade the overall presentation. It felt like Oscar was resting on past laurels, not pushing the envelope nearly like before. I say this not without a heavy heart. He is one of my absolute heroes. I was convinced on 9/11 when his show was scheduled at 11 or 12, that despite what had just happened (not realizing the full and catastrophic degree of the tragedy) that I was sure as hell not missing the show and he sure as hell wouldn't cancel. Well we all know what happened..... I wonder where his business is going. The new guard there gives me pause. Just because Oscar is your step Dad and father in law and Mom is a fashion icon, doesn't give you a key to the kingdom, even if Daddy had a copy made for you.

Narciso Rodriguez had a good day at the races. He showed clothes that were a bit of a departure for him. More color, much more graphic in some ways and a little more overt in their sexuality. I liked the bold black and white striped dresses, as cool as narrow ellipses and the bandage wrapped dresses, which made Herve Leger dresses of the past look safe and predictable. There was a real freedom in this seasons message. I love the obvious technique, the balance between sleek and ease. The end result were clothes perfect for all shapes and all ages. These clothes are a clear example of needing no hype to get over. They stand on their own, they speak for themselves. Now if only the rest of the herd of so-called designers in this one runway town could take a few cues from him.

Chado by Ralph Rucci is really in it's own unique category. He is easily the most advanced couture informed designer on this side of the Atlantic. Part of the problem with that is that he is all too aware of that and makes too much a point of trumpeting it to any any all within range. That said, he is a master at creation. His metier, as he is so found of referring to, is one hell of a thing of beauty, that is if you go in for that sort of thing. It is an acquired taste and is not for everyone. This season's barrage of exits,almost 60 , were a tour de force of examples of his fecund imagination and the utter genius of his technical team. There was a lightness which was welcome and made the clothes so much more accessible and young. The surface treatments, which translate to mere beading or embroidery (for the Marchesas and BadgleyMischkas of the world and so many others) are completely re-invented in his hands. You have to see to believe the solutions he arrives at for solving this design conundrum. Important day and evening clothes call for a degree of decorative cuts and surfaces. Rucci makes his own rules, defies convention and does it in a way that changes your eye forever. His persona in interviews and on camera is overly precious, saying things like" a higher power works through his hands" (PLEASE) but the man is a force of nature.

One day at a time, things can change, even improve. We just have to be willing to put one foot in front of the other.