Will the Real Ralph Rucci Please Stand Up?

Pattern: Simplicity 4123 (vinatge pattern - no copyright date) - This jacket has cut-on kimono sleeves that end at mid-forearm. There are darts that extend from the shoulder line to the bust and elbow darts. The jacket ends just below the waist, at the high hip. There is a one piece rounded collar.

Size: Junior Size 11 (bust 31.5", waist 24.5", hip 33.5")





Fabric: body of jacket: coffee silk dupioni; appliques: mottled satin, rust silk dupioni & black silk dupioni (all fabrics are from Fabricland)


Inspiration: I have been enamored with the designs of Ralph Rucci ever since the first time I laid eyes on one of his exceptional garments. His design aesthetic and the execution of his clothing is pure genius. I have rarely been so enraptured by the vision of a clothing designer. Among a multitude of exceptional garments from his Fall 2006 runway show, this outfit in particular spoke to me. There is something about the appliques that captured my imagination. This outfit stayed with me for a very long time, but you know how inspiration goes. Glimpses of other tantalizing garments and fabrics and patterns push the old inspiration out to make room for the new inspiration. Then last week, I saw this book for sale at Amazon.ca and I knew I had to order it. It showed up on my doorstep in short order and as of yet I have only been able to quickly flip through it. I have not been able to sit down and devour this scrumptious book because one of the first pictures I saw was the one on the left. Inspiration and a desperate desire to create overcame me. I immediately began work on a jacket inspired by this photo. For my SWAP, I had originally planned on making a simple jacket out of the mottled satin - no bells, no whistles, no frills - just a simple jacket. When the desire to create overcame me, all thoughts of a simple, 3 hour jacket went out the window.

Planning: Although I decided to create a different type of jacket, I chose to stick with the originally intended pattern. It had nice simple lines, that were just perfect to showcase the embellishment. The inspiration garment is made of double faced cashmere - I chose to make my version out of the silk dupioni and satin used for many of the other garments in my SWAP. I though this jacket would tie together several of the other pieces to make a more cohesive unit. The coffee silk dupioni was chosen for the main body of the jacket (with a matching coffee coloured Bemberg lining). The other three fabrics were used for the front appliques.

Up Next: Implementation and Construction - I'll discuss how I made and attached the appliques.