Richard Chai Love
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NEW YORK, September 9, 2010
By Meenal Mistry
For Spring, Richard Chai flipped the script on the typical fashion strategy of putting your flashy best on the runway while keeping those more subtle, plain-Jane pieces at the showroom for buyers' eyes only. "All the prints, the embellishment, the embroidery, all of those things are still in the collection," said Chai, speaking at his studio the day before his clothes hit the catwalk. "But what I'm showing on the runway is not that." That might sound counterintuitive, but the approach has its benefits. When you're not distracted by the sparkle of a sequin, your eye can focus on form—and form was definitely the story chez Chai this season.The look could be described as chic urban nomad—all fluid layers built on a foundation of Chaplin-esque trousers, long and full Martha Graham-inspired skirts, flared culottes, and palazzo pants. Chai called the palette of nudes, grays, and blues "super-neutral," and in lieu of color, he created interest by playing with transparency in sheer-backed tops and by layering nylon body stockings throughout. The effect was a ghostly deconstruction, but that liquid element was grounded by sporty-sexy bandeau tops and tailoring in the form of elongating blazers and trenches in weathered-looking technical fabrics.
There might have been nary a sequin in sight, but the combination of transparency and layering did push the look in a fashion-y direction. Yet Chai insisted that, when dissected, the collection was full of simply great pieces to wear. "It's an amazing trenchcoat, an amazing T-shirt—that's the premise of Love," he said. The trick, of course, is to lend those items a fresh point of view, and happily, Chai continues to stand out in the same-y contemporary world.
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Spring 2011 Ready-to-Wear
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Edun Elie Saab Elie Tahari Elise Øverland Emanuel Ungaro Emilio de la Morena Emilio Pucci Emporio Armani Erdem Erin Fetherston Etro -
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Fashion East Fashion Fringe Felipe Oliveira Baptista Fendi Francesco Scognamiglio Frank Tell -
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Gabriele Colangelo Gant by Michael Bastian Gap Gareth Pugh Gary Graham Giambattista Valli Gianfranco Ferré Giles Giorgio Armani Givenchy Graeme Armour Gregory Parkinson G-Star Gucci -
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Haider Ackermann Hakaan Halston Hanii Y Hannah Marshall Helmut Lang Hermès Hervé Léger by Max Azria Holly Fulton House of Holland -
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Karen Walker Kenzo Kimberly Ovitz Kinder Aggugini -
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L.A.M.B. L'Wren Scott Lacoste Lanvin Lela Rose Limi Feu Loewe Louise Gray Louis Vuitton Luca Luca Luisa Beccaria Lyn Devon -
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Naeem Khan Nanette Lepore Narciso Rodriguez Neil Barrett Nicholas K Nicolas Andreas Taralis Nicole Farhi Nicole Miller Nina Ricci No. 21 -
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Ohne Titel Organic by John Patrick Oscar de la Renta Osman -
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Paul & Joe Paul Smith Pedro Lourenço Peter Pilotto Peter Som Philosophy Ports 1961 PPQ Prabal Gurung Prada Preen Pringle of Scotland Proenza Schouler -
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Zac Posen Zero + Maria Cornejo Z Spoke by Zac Posen
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