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Don’t
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by Tiffany Hall |
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| July/August 2008 l Issue Sixteen |
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| Fall Reigns with Ruffian and Reyes |
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Between trunk shows and designer appearances during the first quarter of a stylish 2008, we've been bountifully blessed with a prêt-a-porter playground of grand proportions. Between Ruffian in March and Brian Reyes in April, spring showered us with sartorial goodness at Stanley Korshak.
Eschewing the severe austerity that ran rampant in other fall collections, Brian Wolk and Claude Morais of NY-based Ruffian opted for disobedience and created a season's worth of pieces constructed, fittingly, around the idea of the nonconformist, boarding school chick. Fun, bold, and a bit of a rebel, she is, in the words of Wolk, a "little more rock". And with that concept in mind, they rolled. In this, their fifth collection, creative directors Wolk and Morais have built their collection in the global mood of the moment, reaching boldly across the boundaries of place and time to bring forth a stylish synthesis of motifs. Clearly, the Ruffian girl knows no confines, as practically every piece is a fusion of cultural and social references, perhaps as a sort of commentary on the current state of affairs. Fall 2008 in the world of Ruffian may be a bit confusing, but it is a delightful daze in which to be absorbed.
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Hailing, respectively, from New York and Montreal, Wolke and Moris have embraced to a specific aesthetic vision in creating this line, which, as a whole, is marvelously cohesive. For fall, Wolke and Moris have made beautiful music, the genre of which surely needn't be reiterated. [Re]form was the theme chosen for this collection, yet not as a literal reference. No subtext here; no attempts to modify the "bad lass" that is their muse. Lighten up, this is Ruffian!
For all the discussion of rebellion and defiance, there is a genuine wearability in these clothes. Finely tailored blazers and sleek pants with great cuts typify the elongation that is the silhouette for fall. Ruffian's fabrics are generally sumptuous and specifically diverse; handmade Italian lace, needlepoint embroidery, nubby boucle, macramé, velvet, and tulle, all in pretty permutations that don't overwhelm. It's all about skillful pairings, piece by piece. A panel of brightly colored (Wolke refers to it as "graffiti") needlepoint embroidery carrying a folksy, ethnic connotation is grounded when placed on a simple, strapless LBD. The Savile Row tailoring of a structured, Rockabillies-inspired blazer works well next to silk twill that glides over the body. The details are utterly delightful, yet it's the mix-and-match sensibility that anchors these pieces and serves to render them useful and wearable.
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For fall, Brian Reyes presented a collection of razor-sharp ready-to-wear. Arguably one of the finest talents to come out of New York, Brian Reyes has proved his prowess when it comes to the successful and stylish combination of motifs, themes, and cultural references. Formerly working for such renowned American design houses as Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors, Reyes clearly espouses the classic aesthetic and professes a love for the universal appeal of sportswear. Young, visionary, and incalculably impressed by the wonders of the natural world, Reyes has looked to build his brand by merging timeless principles of design with modern allusions to art and culture. |
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For Fall, 2008, Reyes crafted his fall collection from sources of ethnic and elusive diversity. Some references are clear, such as the Incan-inspired Peruvian embroidery and printed designs inspired by Stone figures off the coast of Chile. Others are delightfully ambiguous, such as pattering on the fabric which is meant to symbolize noise distortions and give a sort of static-y, graffiti-feel to the clothing. It's just one form of expression Reyes chose to explore, along with the theme of 1930's Art Deco, which, he related, truly intrigues him. In keeping with this motif, Reyes chose to employ vintage stingray in his accessories and to utilize a color palette reminiscent of the works of Klimt and Gustav.
As with many designers of things divine, Reyes has sought, cleverly, to establish his namesake brand by carefully and creatively providing clients with impeccable pieces by which they may build an entire wardrobe. Of course the body of his work involves creating beautiful clothing, yet this soft-spoken soul emphasizes the existence of variety of factors in piecing together a collection. It's important, he relates, to consider economic implications in order to give people things that are genuinely wearable and will stand the test of time. Right on, Reyes!
Ruffian and Brian Reyes – Fall 2008 Collections, available this Fall at:
Stanley Korshak
500 Crescent Court
Dallas TX, 75201
Call: 800.972.5959
Visit: www.StanleyKorshak.com |
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