All The Pretty Things

With their feminine, elegant designs, Ralph & Russo have become a favourite for red-carpet regulars. Now with their ready-to-wear, they are looking at a whole new clientele. Priyanka Khanna meets Tamara Ralph in London to find out more about her decade-old label

As I write this piece, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja has just closed the Cannes red carpet on a sartorial high—in a sophisticated, beautifully structured trouser suit by Ralph & Russo. “This year, I just wanted to wear a pair of trousers! I’ve done it all—big gowns, sculpted gowns—and Tamara got my mood immediately. Like all their clothes, it was impeccably constructed, comfortable and echoed an oldworld charm that I love,” Kapoor Ahuja tells me over the phone from London. It’s not the first time she’s worn the duo; she was the first to discover them this side of the globe. “Tam is such a good friend. She’s talented, kind and empathetic—what could be a better combination? And she knows what makes women feel beautiful,” she adds.

A few days prior to Cannes, on a grey Wednesday in London, I’m sitting with Ralph in her four-floor luxe Mayfair atelier. Ralph is the creative director of the label she co-founded with her husband Michael Russo (they duo bumped into each other on Kings Road, London, when the Australian Ralph was visiting) over a decade ago. They became the first British label in over a century to be invited by the prestigious Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to show their collections on the official Paris schedule, and this September they will show at the ready-to-wear shows in Paris. Excerpts from our conversation:

Priyanka Khanna: Jet-setter, glamazon, feminine…these words are often men

tioned in conjunction with the women you design for. How do you see her?