Richard Chai Loves to Plays with Length, Layers and Textures

Richard Chai started the season off strong at Lincoln Center with his Love collection, showing flowing maxi skirts, soft ruffles and slightly more structured separates in shades of taupe, black and grey.

Started four years ago, Love is Chai’s contemporary line with a lower price point than the main collection. Its clever reinterpretation of menswear has a strong downtown vibe to it. There was the usual stream of vests, overcoats and long lean layers, but it was Chai’s take on the three-piece suit that was particularly well articulated. The dramatic shawl collar paired with drawstring pants had a comfortable je ne sais quoi to it. It was bold in its concept yet subtle in its execution. If Chai continues to innovate in this direction, it would be interesting to see how far he could push into unexpected directions.

Some of the floral pieces were a bit jarring and didn’t fit with the cool aloofness of the collection. While Chai hasn’t really pushed the envelope with this collection, it’s definitely wearable and each piece stands well on its own.

Top Chinese models Liu Wen and Ming Xi walked Chai’s show.

Photos: style.com