Claude Morais

Ruffian Spring 2013 | Runway
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Ruffian Spring 2013

Claude Morais and Brian Wolk have long sung the praises of Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood.
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Ruffian Spring 2013 | Runway

Claude Morais and Brian Wolk have long sung the praises of Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood. Not only have the duo made it their home for years, but they've also dedicated much of their La Vie en Ruffian column to calling out the finer qualities of their favorite stomping ground. It was really only a matter of time, really, before the aesthetic of the neighborhood's hipster denizens made it into their collection.

The designers have always had a thing for posh-meets-punk, and for Spring 2013 it melded together beautifully. This season, the posh came in the form of toile de Jouy prints on charmeuse and chiffon, metallic-threaded jacquard, tie-neck blouses, and that good ol' Ruffian staple: ruffles. The punk manifested in boxy silhouettes, cropped boy jackets, slouchy trousers, swooshing skirts, and seams that felt just a little undone. And for that final dose of dressed-down cool: Chuck Taylors. Those were worn with every look.

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Kate Lanphear on Street Style
Kate Lanphear

Kate Lanphear Talks Street Style

>> Elle style director Kate Lanphear has a good explanation for fashion's current obsession with street style.
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>> Elle style director Kate Lanphear has a good explanation for fashion's current obsession with street style.

Lanphear recently sat down with Ruffian's Brian Wolk and Claude Morais to discuss the industry, her personal style, and why she loves her work. "My job is to make people dream, and to get them excited about dressing in a new way," she says. Below, a few more highlights from the interview.

On the current obsession with street style: "It's a by-product of social media. There is a true wealth of information online now, but the coverage first began in Japanese street style magazines. At the time, the economy was more robust—people were buying goods from luxury brands, but they didn't necessarily know how to wear them. People were hungry for ideas, but magazines were just shooting full looks, so if it didn't resonate with you on the runway, these street style mags were a great source of inspiration."

On growing up in the South: "I love the culture of the South, and the people there, but living in New York is a dream. There was a time when everyone around me said this dream would never come true. I still pinch myself every day. When I work, I always think about that girl in Virginia—what I'd want to wear, what I dreamed about then, and what I would have wanted to see in a magazine. For that girl, fantasy and fashion collide in simple images with a real spirit, like a gorgeous woman getting a coffee or hailing a yellow cab."

Her favorite lie: "'Your ass looks small in that!'"

Donatella Brings that Versace Glamour to the Whitney Museum Art Gala
Monique Pean

Donatella Brings that Versace Glamour to the Whitney Museum Art Gala

>> For the second year running, the Whitney Art Musem Gala was Donatella Versace's party.  Editors — Olivier Zahm, Lauren Santo Domingo, Glenda Bailey — commingled with designers — Peter Som, Moises de la Renta, Ruffian's Claude Morais and Brian Wolk — and a smattering of models like Chanel Iman and Hana Soukupova.
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>> For the second year running, the Whitney Art Musem Gala was Donatella Versace's party.  Editors — Olivier Zahm, Lauren Santo Domingo, Glenda Bailey — commingled with designers — Peter Som, Moises de la Renta, Ruffian's Claude Morais and Brian Wolk — and a smattering of models like Chanel Iman and Hana Soukupova. Christopher Kane's Versus designs even made an appearance — the Fall 2009 crystal shoes were on Byrdie Bell's feet, and Taylor Momsen — who seems to be close with the Versaces, particularly Allegra, changed into a black Spring 2010 Versus frock for the Studio Party post-Gala Dinner.

Donatella was fashionably late to the party — two hours in, she was nowhere to be found; perhaps she was still upstairs tending to VIPs — as was Lindsay Lohan, who swept in, all blonde hair and gold dress — earning comparisons to Donatella's trademark look. Lohan said she came "for Donatella" before beelining to Brian Atwood for a chat.  Keeping with the "art chic" theme, the walls of one whole room at the party downstairs was covered in paper for guests to scribble on.

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Sneak Peek! Mise en Scene by Ruffian at Anthropologie
Anthropologie

Sneak Peek! Mise en Scene by Ruffian at Anthropologie

Not too long after we announced Ruffian was designing a collection for Anthropologie, the fruits of Brian Wolk and Claude Morais's labor are here to devour.
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Not too long after we announced Ruffian was designing a collection for Anthropologie, the fruits of Brian Wolk and Claude Morais's labor are here to devour. Deemed Mise en Scene, literally meaning "put in the scene," the line is broodingly romantic, powerful and subtle at the same time. The outerwear is especially handsome, as is this Jacquard Gala Dress ($228) on the right. Prices range from $38 for tights up to $348 for a coat. There are also a few candles, the brand's book Ruffian: Inside Out, as well as wine, water, martini, and champagne glasses.

See more Ruffian for Anthropologie pieces I like.

Fab Read: Ruffian, Inside Out
Shopping

Fab Read: Ruffian, Inside Out

Want to know how a book comes to fruition?
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Want to know how a book comes to fruition? Well, at least in Ruffian designers Brian Wolk and Claude Morais's case? Step one, bump into photographer Jamie Isaia at the National Arts Club: "We started talking and told her we loved her work and that we should do something creatively together. It became a one-year project, and she documented our creative process," according to Wolk. Next, meet Martine Assouline, co-founder and co-publisher of Assouline publishing house, and have her look at the 2,000 or so pictures Isaia took. Then, have Style.com executive editor Nicole Phelps agree to pen the book and voila!

Ruffian: Inside Out ($19) chronicles Ruffian's creative process for their Spring and Fall 2008 collections, from initial sketch through fabric research, to fittings and the runway show. The irony is that Wolk and Morais have less than a decade of experience yet already have a book. Impressive.

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