In light of the bushfire crisis in their Australian homeland, Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo opened their couture show by announcing their intention to support relief efforts. The pair will host a fundraiser on their Facebook page with all proceeds pledged donated to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund. “It was the least we could do,” Ralph noted backstage.
Perhaps the most revealing detail about a Ralph & Russo show is that, before the lights even went up on the couture collection Monday night, one of the top stylists to Hollywood stars took aside a PR to ask how fast things could be shipped to the West Coast. We are in the midst of awards season, after all. As the show unfurled to the sounds of “An American in Paris” and “Moonlight Serenade,” that stylist was snapping photos and messaging her client, who—wherever she was—seemed to be hanging on every text.
You could see why a statuesque beauty would fall for these Oscar-worthy dresses, either in sea foam green or a dégradé of pastel colors. Some of the most winning numbers, however, were in subtler hues, like an anthracite column dress with a wave detail, a gossamer floral train with a hologram effect, or a gown that looked like it had been illuminated with a light wand. The couple also brought out ten new iterations of their neo-classics, to celebrate a decade in the couture business. “We wanted to celebrate where we’ve been, but also show a new direction for a new decade,” Ralph offered after the show. “Every element was something from history, whether fabrication, embroideries, or silhouettes.” This, she said, would continue to be mixed together with designs that will appeal to their fast-growing, younger base. Come April, those customers will have a new destination to source Ralph & Russo designs in New York City.
