Chado Ralph Rucci shows flawless dresses

Simply put, Rucci’s dresses seem to defy the physical properties of mere fabric and thread.

This season, the American couturier plays with ripped wool crepe, or torn cashmere -- all flawlessly hand-stitched, of course. A silk chiffon dress has scads of hand-tied knots, like flower buds. A pink tube dress sports a net feather cage that hovers around the body. But it’s a raucous uptown dame who’ll wear the dress with mohawk of white guinea hen feathers down the spine.

Martha Stewart was sitting front row, perhaps thinking: “Guinea hen mohawk? It’s a good thing.”

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