The inspiration for the Ruffian Fall 2014 collection was "monastic opulence," which seems like two conflicting terms, but the opposites meshed together quite beautifully. Designers Brian Wolk and Claude Morais looked to the work of 1800s portrait artist Petrus Christus for silhouettes and the rich, dark color palette that’s carried throughout.
Due to the religious undertones of the New York Fashion Week collection, there were minimal flashes of skin and plenty of long-sleeved, full-length dark black dresses and ruffled high white collars. Despite the severity of some of these looks, there was some whimsy that worked its way into the collection with a playful unicorn tapestry print and jewel tone colors. Seductive red lipstick on the models was one small detail that hinted the collection wasn’t entirely about devotion.
Ascetic-Inspired Womenswear
The Ruffian Fall 2014 Collection Has a Dark Monastic Tone
Trend Themes
1. Monastic Fashion - There's an opportunity for designers to create fashion with religious undertones that is also playful and whimsical.
2. Dark Color Palette - There's an opportunity for designers to create collections for women with a richer, darker color palette.
3. Full-length Dresses - There's an opportunity for designers to create elegant, full-length dresses with long sleeves.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion - The fashion industry has an opportunity to branch out into the monastic style of fashion.
2. Beauty - The beauty industry has an opportunity to showcase seductive red lipsticks to complement the monastic look.
3. Textiles - The textiles industry has an opportunity to create unicorn tapestries and jewel tone fabrics that could be used in monastic-inspired fashion.