New York Fashion Week: Richard Chai shifts things up for spring
Richard Chai presented his women’s collection (called Richard Chai Love) and eponymous men’s collection at the Lincoln Center tents on Thursday, the first day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week here.
The Inspiration: Though none was stated in the show notes, earlier in the week Chai told fashion industry trade paper WWD: “The inspiration for this collection is Shift.” (Yes, it was an uppercase “S” for what it’s worth.)
The Look: Heavy on all manner of stripe, swirl and squiggle rendered in print, patchwork and palettes. Swirling silks, bold colorblocking and a lots of emphasis on the shoulders. There were bare shoulders – off-the-shoulder tops and halter dresses for women, sleeveless T-shirts, Henleys and jackets for men. There were tops asymmetrically belted at one shoulder (for both men and women) and other pieces that accented the shoulder (a couple of men’s jackets in particular).
The color palette was heavy on the jewel tones (a Chai signature) and the designer apparently boarded the men’s trend train with a selection of roomy shorts, some in railroad stripes, others in gray suiting fabrics and some in solid colors for good measure.
Key Pieces: Our favorite offerings from the men’s side were the railroad stripe (aka engineer stripe or hickory stripe) pieces that included belted shorts, trousers and a trench coat (we think it’s the latter that caught Simone’s eye). Our favorite looks on the women’s side included the range of swirling patchwork dresses and a white and violet flounce slip dress layered over a pewter-colored tank mini dress that demonstrated elegance at ease.
The Scene: Notable front row attendees included Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas and two first-time New York Fashion Week attendees: actors Darren Criss (“Glee”) and Hannah Simone (“New Girl”). When we asked the latter two if they had a favorite look from Chai’s runway, Simone picked out a “long, dusty, kind of metallic gray jacket” from the men’s collection while Criss threw us a curveball: “Actually I liked what Richard was wearing when he came out at the end.”
The Verdict: While it didn’t represent a seismic shift for the designer, the spring 2015 men’s and women’s offerings that came down the catwalk were an example of how even the littlest shifts -- in drape, strap, pattern or placement on an exposed shoulder can make things feel fresh and new.
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