Ralph Rucci

Last updated
Ralph Rucci
Born1957 (age 6465)
Nationality American
Education Temple University, Fashion Institute of Technology
Label(s)
RR331
Awards Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, 2008,
The Couture Council of The Museum at FIT, 2006
Pratt Institute Icon Award, 2009
The Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts Visionary Award for Fashion, 2011
SCAD André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award, 2012
Honorary Doctoral Degree from Drexel University College of Art and Design, 2015

Ralph Rucci (born 1957) [1] is an American fashion designer and artist. [2] He is known in particular for Chado Ralph Rucci, a luxury clothing and accessories line. [3] Rucci's clothing designs have appeared in a number of major exhibitions, and he has won some significant fashion-industry awards. He is the subject of a recent documentary, and he and his clothing have received positive critical response in the fashion press.

Contents

Life and career

Ralph Rucci "Stingray Swan" evening gown, Spring-Summer 2001 (PMA) Ralph Rucci "Stingray Swan" evening gown, ready-to-wear collection, Spring-Summer 2001.jpg
Ralph Rucci "Stingray Swan" evening gown, Spring-Summer 2001 (PMA)

Rucci was born and raised in Philadelphia, and holds a degree in philosophy from Temple University. At the age of 21, he moved to New York to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology and later trained under Halston and a Balenciaga patternmaker. He had his first formal show at New York's Westbury Hotel in 1981, [5] but launched Chado Ralph Rucci over a decade later, in 1994, and began showing at New York Fashion Week in 1999. In 2002, Rucci became the first American designer in more than 60 years to be invited to show in Paris by the French Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture (the only other designer to be so honored was Mainbocher), [6] and he showed his haute couture collections in Paris for the next five seasons. He has twice been nominated for the Council of Fashion Designers of America's Womenswear Designer of the Year Award. Rucci is also a painter, who has exhibited in art galleries throughout the U.S. [7] His paintings, exhibited at the Serge Sorokko Gallery in San Francisco in December, 2012, were described by Architectural Digest as "enigmatic works... bearing sweeping brushstrokes that are collaged, here and there, with scraps of silken fabrics." [8]

From the beginning of his career, Rucci was inspired by the style of such fashion icons as Elsa Peretti (for her "biomorphic nature") and Pauline de Rothschild (for "creating harmony out of disorder"). [9] [10] Rucci's influences also include the painters Cy Twombly, Franz Kline, Antoni Tàpies and Francis Bacon, sculptor Louise Nevelson, Japanese symbolism, and the designer James Galanos. [11] Rucci's "individual mind" has been praised, as well as his "distinct point of view," as The New York Times noted in a review on a 2007 Rucci exhibition at the Fashion Institute of Technology. [12]

In 2007, fashion historian Valerie Steele wrote The Art of Weightlessness, an illustrated monograph published by the Yale University Press on the occasion of Rucci's exhibition at the FIT Museum. [13] In 2008, the documentary Ralph Rucci: A Designer and His House, narrated by Martha Stewart, premiered on the Sundance Channel . [14] In 2011, Rucci was inducted into the Fashion Group International Walk of Fame. [15] In December 2011, Bauer and Dean published Autobiography of a Fashion Designer: Ralph Rucci, with photographs by Baldomero Fernandez. In 2012, Rucci received an André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award from the Savannah College of Art and Design. [16]

Chado Ralph Rucci

Rucci launched the Chado Ralph Rucci line in 1994, "chado" coming from the Japanese tea ceremony noted for its attention to detail, exactitude, sense of austere style, and expertise on the part of the practitioner. [17]

According to Cathy Horyn of The New York Times , "Mr. Rucci’s clothes have a devotion to elegance that can feel as pitiless as a sermon on a hot summer day," [18] while Robin Givhan of The Washington Post wrote that "Rucci's clothes are aspirational in every sense of the word. They ooze luxury from 100 paces, yet they are not ostentatious. They look expensive because every seam is perfect, every button exactly placed, every skirt has just the right lift. No dress of his would dare wrinkle." [19]

Rucci's gowns are included in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, DeYoung Museum in San Francisco, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Phoenix Art Museum, the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Texas Fashion Collection in Denton, Texas, among others.

Museum exhibitions

Awards and honors

Related Research Articles

Fashion Institute of Technology Design/Textile Museum in New York, NY

The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It was founded in 1944.

Geoffrey Beene was an American fashion designer. Beene was one of New York's most famous fashion designers, recognized for his artistic and technical skills and for creating simple, comfortable and dressy women's wear.

Balenciaga SAS is a high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1917 by the Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga in San Sebastian, Spain and currently based in Paris, France. Balenciaga had a reputation as a couturier of uncompromising standards and was referred to as "the master of us all" by Christian Dior. His bubble skirts and odd, feminine, yet "modernistic" silhouettes became the trademarks of the house. Balenciaga closed in 1972 and was reopened under new ownership in 1986. The brand is now owned by the luxury group Kering.

Charles James (designer) British-born fashion designer

Charles Wilson Brega James was an English-American fashion designer. He is best known for his ballgowns and highly structured aesthetic. James is one of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century and continues to influence new generations of designers.

Mainbocher is a fashion label founded by the American couturier Main Rousseau Bocher, also known as Mainbocher. Established in 1929, the house of Mainbocher successfully operated in Paris (1929–1939), and then in New York (1940–1971).

Willi Donnell Smith was an American fashion designer. At the time of his death, Smith was regarded as one of the most successful African-American designers in the fashion industry. His company, WilliWear Limited, launched in 1976 and by 1986 grossed over $25 million in sales. After Smith's death, his business partner, Laurie Mallet, continued the line with various designers creating collections. Without Smith, the company foundered and due to financial problems and poor sales, WilliWear Limited ceased production in 1990. WilliWear was the first clothing company to create womenswear and menswear under the same label. The accessibility and affordability of Smith's clothing helped to democratize fashion.

James Galanos Greek fashion designer (1924–2016)

James Galanos was an American fashion designer and couturier. Galanos is known for designing clothing for America's social elite, including Nancy Reagan, Marylin Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and others.

Arnold Isaacs, known as Arnold Scaasi, was a Canadian fashion designer who has created gowns for First Ladies Mamie Eisenhower, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Laura Bush, in addition to such notable personalities as Joan Crawford, Ivana Trump, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, Lauren Bacall, Diahann Carroll, Elizabeth Taylor, Catherine Deneuve, Brooke Astor, Arlene Francis, Mitzi Gaynor and Mary Tyler Moore.

Viktor & Rolf

Viktor & Rolf is a Dutch avant-garde luxury fashion house founded in 1993 by Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren. For more than twenty years, Viktor & Rolf have sought to challenge preconceptions of fashion and bridge the divide between fashion and art. Viktor & Rolf have designed both haute couture and ready-to-wear collections. The duo is renowned for their avant-garde designs, which rely heavily on theatrical and performative fashion runways.

Fashion show Event of displaying latest clothing and apparel collection

A fashion show is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase their upcoming line of clothing and/or accessories during Fashion Week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter seasons. This is where the latest fashion trends are made. The two most influential fashion weeks are Paris Fashion Week and Milan Fashion Week, which are both semiannual events. The New York, London and Berlin fashion weeks are also of global importance.

Rodarte is an American brand of clothing and accessories founded and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, USA by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy.

Valentina (fashion designer) Ukrainian artist (1889–1989)

Valentina Nicholaevna Sanina Schlee, simply known as Valentina, was a Ukrainian émigrée fashion designer and theatrical costume designer active from 1928 to the late 1950s.

Tatiana Sorokko Russian-American model, fashion journalist, and collector

Tatiana Sorokko is a Russian-born American model, fashion journalist, and haute couture collector. She walked the runways for the world's most prominent designers and fashion houses, appeared on covers of leading fashion magazines, and became the first Russian model of the post-Soviet period to gain international recognition. After modeling, Sorokko worked as contributing editor for such publications as Vogue, Vanity Fair and Harper's Bazaar. Her distinct personal style and her private collection of historically important haute couture clothing were subjects of museum exhibitions in Russia and the U.S.

Austin Scarlett American fashion designer and artist (born 1978)

Austin Scarlett is an American fashion designer and artist known for his appearances on the first season of Project Runway, 2012's Project Runway: All Stars, and his own series, On the Road with Austin and Santino.

Richard Martin (curator) American scholar, lecturer, critic, curator, art and fashion historian

Richard Martin was a scholar, lecturer, critic and curator, and a leading art and fashion historian. At the time of his death he was curator of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, creating many critically acclaimed exhibitions and contributing widely towards publications on the subject. After his death, an award in his name was set up to recognise creative, high quality and innovative costume exhibitions.

Marc Bouwer is a fashion designer who was raised in South Africa and now works in New York City.

Maggie Norris is an American fashion designer.

Madame Grès, also known as Alix Barton and Alix, was a leading French couturier and costume designer, founder of haute couture fashion house Grès as well as the associated Parfums Grès. Remembered as the "Sphinx of Fashion", Grès was notoriously secretive about her personal life and was seen as a workaholic with a furious attention to detail, therefore she preferred to let her work do the talking. Grès is best known for her floor-length draped Grecian goddess gowns, noted as the "master of the wrapped and draped dress" and "queen of drapery". Grès's minimalistic draping techniques and her attention and respect for the female body have had a lasting effect on the haute couture and fashion industry, inspiring a number of recent designers.

Andrew Bolton is a British museum curator and current Head Curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City. Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, UK, Bolton graduated from the University of East Anglia with a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Non-Western Art. In 2017, he was appointed an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Art.

References

Notes

  1. "Designers: Chado Ralph Rucci". Fashion Model Directory (FMD). Retrieved December 10, 2014. Ralph Rucci was born in 1957 in Philadelphia
  2. Foley, Bridget (October 2008). "Ralph Rucci: In His Own Fashion". W . Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  3. "Chado Ralph Rucci". New York Magazine . 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  4. "Woman's "Stingray Swan" Evening Dress". philamuseum.org. Philadelphia Museum of Art. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  5. O'Neill, Kristina (February 2007). "CELEBRATING 25 YEARS: RALPH RUCCI". Harper's Bazaar . Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  6. Achrene Sicakyuz, Michael Quintanilla (12 July 2002). "American in Paris". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  7. Menkes, Suzy (7 June 2005). "Delicate collages from Ralph Rucci". The New York Times . Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  8. Owens, Mitchell (December 17, 2012). "Fashion Designer Ralph Rucci's San Francisco Art Exhibit". Architectural Digest.
  9. Women's Wear Daily , U.S. 31 December 1985. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  10. Talley, André Leon (15 June 2009). "Puppy Love". Vogue . Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  11. Murg, Stephanie (13 April 2007). "Ralph Rucci: From Museum to Runway and Back Again". Smithsonian . Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  12. Horyn, Cathy (January 18, 2007). "The Reckoning: Ralph Rucci at F.I.T." The New York Times.
  13. "Ralph Rucci: The Art of Weightlessnesss". Amazon.com . ISBN   0300122780.
  14. Boatman, David (2008). "Ralph Rucci: A Designer and His House". Sundance Channel . Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  15. Salamone, Gina (20 April 2011). "Design of the times: Oleg Cassini, Ralph Rucci added to Fashion Walk of Fame". New York Daily News . Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  16. Feitelberg, Rosemary (9 April 2012). "Ralph Rucci to Be Honored". Women's Wear Daily . Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  17. Szabo, Julia (September 2002). "Up Next, Designer Ralph Rucci". Departures Magazine . Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  18. Horyn, Cathy (February 12, 2010). "Ralph Rucci Adds Some Strut". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  19. Givhan, Robin (20 September 2009). "The Right Way On the Runway: Backward". The Washington Post . Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  20. "Special Exhibitions: Goddess". Metropolitan Museum of Art official website. 1 May 2003. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  21. "Goddess". Mode Museum official website. 8 May 2004. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  22. Hayman, Marshall (5 February 2005). "Scene: Chow Down ... Edifying Edie ... Totally Eighties ..." Women's Wear Daily . Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  23. Ralph Rucci Collection Takes the Stage at Kent State University Museum Archived 2011-07-23 at the Wayback Machine at Kent.edu
  24. "Objects: She's Like a Rainbow: Colors in Fashion Exhibition". Fashion Institute of Technology. Official website. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  25. Breaking the Mode: Contemporary Fashion from the Permanent Collection Archived 2010-12-04 at the Wayback Machine at Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
  26. "Glamour: Fashion to Die For at the Museum at FIT". Fashion Institute of Technology. Official website. 12 January 2005. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  27. Skin + Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine at Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
  28. Menkes, Suzy (9 February 2007). "Ralph Rucci, the weightless designer - Style & Design - International Herald Tribune". The New York Times . Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  29. Chado Ralph Rucci at Phoenix Art Museum.
  30. Menconi, Lilia (April 2008). ""Chado Ralph Rucci": an exhibition of haute fashion at Phoenix Art Museum". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  31. "A Passion for Perfection: James Galanos, Gustave Tassell, Ralph Rucci". Philadelphia Museum of Art Official website. 15 September 2007.
  32. "American Beauty: Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion". Fashion Institute of Technology Museum official website. 12 August 2009.
  33. Steele, Valerie (14 May 2010). "Valerie Steele in Moscow". Valeriesteelefashion.com. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  34. "Exhibitions: American High Style: Fashioning a National Collection". Brooklyn Museum official website. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  35. Ralph Rucci to be honored at annual SCAD fashion show with Andre Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award Archived 2012-09-19 at the Wayback Machine at Savannah College of Art and Design Museum.
  36. "Ralph Rucci Official Bio" (PDF). rrucci.com. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  37. "Chado Ralph Rucci: Awards And Recognition". Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Official Website. 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  38. "National Design Awards: Ralph Rucci". Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Official Website. 2008. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  39. "Academy of Art University Fashion School Announces 2008 Honorary Doctorate Recipients". PRweb.com. 13 April 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  40. Murg, Stephanie (14 May 2009). "Ralph Rucci to Receive Pratt Fashion Icon Award". Mediabistro.com. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  41. "PIFA Celebrates Haute Couture with Fashion Show". Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts official website. 24 February 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
  42. "Ralph Rucci Official Bio" (PDF). rrucci.com. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  43. "Ralph Rucci Official Bio" (PDF). rrucci.com. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  44. "Ralph Rucci Official Bio" (PDF). rrucci.com. Retrieved 20 April 2018.

Bibliography