CONCERTO FOR TWO – BY RUFFIAN
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger Photographer: George Whylie Videographer: Maxine Nolan
Once again this season, during Mercedes-Benz Fall 2012 Fashion Week, the famed New York label of Ruffian presented another winning collection.
Only a team this brilliant could mix a palette of black and white and create an end result that would have women relishing with delight and unquestionably praising their work.
Brian Wolk is one half of the team who not only gained expertise in fashion and costume design but also worked in Film, Theatre and Opera. The other half of the team, Claude Morais, gained diversified education as a model and a stylist. He also studied in the fine arts. This certainly makes for a winning combination so it is no wonder that ever since they were awarded the Fashion Group International Rising Star Award, their fame and good fortune have skyrocketed them into the limelight. They have been featured in editorials and iconic magazines such as Vogue, W, Harper’s Bazaar, Allure and WWD.
In the Spring of 2010, ‘Ruffian: Inside Out’ was published, a candid look into their lives as they created, prepared and then launched two collections.
This recent collection is a bit of Elizabethan era meets Gangster. Given the title, “Concerto For Two”, it brings together formality and modernism as the debut of the collection follows the journey of the modern woman’s need for warmth, familiarity and cool razor sharp tailoring.
Models exhibited glamour and intrigue with bright red lips and full curly above shoulder locks.
Twills and plaids made a heavy showing to accommodate the chill of the season.
Jackets came past the knee in plaids and solid colors as powerful as red. A cape in blue/grey wool melton was smartly worn over the concerto pant in black lambswool. To give that gangster effect, fedoras were the popular accessory to adorn outerwear.
Suits were special and and impressionable like the Elizabeth jacket and trumpet skirt in storm blue boucle or the smoking jacket in black lambswool with bow camisole in ivory cashmere knit with concerto skirt in black lambswool flannel. Simple is sexy with an ivory silk georgette blouse with bow over a black lambskin skirt.
Solid-colored sheaths are great staple items for every wardrobe and any season. Ruffian completes these dresses with a skinny belt.
Evening dressing took on a most breathtaking appearance. A metallic gold fitted shirt with high neck collar was stunning over olive-colored wide leg ankle pants.
Velvet is an exquisite fabric for the evening and each dress was even more special than the one before it. The Crescendo dress in black silk velvet was followed by the studio dress in black silk velvet followed by the cameo blouse in nude silk georgette with trumpet skirt in black silk velvet.
Ruffian’s love for polished creativity and the effect their designs have on the cultured woman were an important element of this superb collection brought to us this past February 11th.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF www.mbfashionweek.com
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