Friends With Money
Town & Country|September 2019

How Ralph Rucci, the only living American haute couturier, became a cautionary tale for art and fashion.

Jessica Iredale
Friends With Money

“Where is Ralph Rucci, exactly?” bellows André Leon Talley from the dais at Judson Memorial Church in New York, where he is seated on an actual throne, swathed in yards of crimson duchesse satin that Rucci has whipped into a caftan. It’s a fair question.

In 2014, Rucci, the second American ever invited to join the French Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, exited the label he had founded 33 years earlier amid a seemingly bitter rupture with his patron, the philanthropist Nancy Marks. Rucci had been keeping a low profile ever since, becoming the subject of speculation among his peers and former clients, the elite cohort of women who once made him a darling of New York society. On this particular evening in May, when he is staging a runway show for an LGBTQ fundraiser, he has yet to be seen. The venue is low budget but high energy, the crowd a motley mix of young activists and performers, and personalities like Marc Jacobs, Naomi Campbell, and Bethann Hardison.

Next to Talley, Sandra Bernhard, a pal of Rucci’s who has come out to cheer him on, drolly responds, “He’s backstage dressing everyone.” The designer is, in fact, fitting his models, who are not his usual doyennes but performers from the gay ballroom community. Aghast at the socialites and movie stars he recently saw on the pink carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s camp-themed Costume Institute gala, Rucci imagines his new muses in subtle black crepe-back satin and Elsa Peretti jewelry.

“Maybe I’m spoiled, but I was lucky enough in my past to have standards,” he says. It’s not the first time he has looked back at his heyday, when his front row was bursting with grande dames of every stripe, from Lee Radziwill to Martha Stewart.

This story is from the September 2019 edition of Town & Country.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 2019 edition of Town & Country.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM TOWN & COUNTRYView All
Wake Up and Smell the PALM TREES
Town & Country US

Wake Up and Smell the PALM TREES

In Palm Beach, second homes are the new first homes. For Tommy Hilfiger, Coral House is much more. After 40 years of running a fashion empire, he's shifting gears and staying put for a while.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Bite Me!
Town & Country US

Bite Me!

Perfumes with sweet notes of vanilla, cocoa, caramel, and honey are a guilt-free indulgence. Join us in the dining room, won't you?

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Battle for the Soul of SKIING
Town & Country US

Battle for the Soul of SKIING

Lift lines are interminable and slopes are packed. Meanwhile, wealthy resort owners have been making their mountains semi- or entirely private. Can the original gonzo-glamorous sport survive its new highs and lows?

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Kingdom Come
Town & Country US

Kingdom Come

Kelly Reilly has become a sensation for her turn as Yellowstone's Beth Dutton, the deliciously wicked daughter of a Montana cattle baron. Now, as the family saga reaches its dramatic finale, the actress is ready to shed her alter ego. Or is she?

time-read
9 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Town? Country? YES.
Town & Country US

Town? Country? YES.

A new Charleston hotel makes it plain: This place is made for traveling, happily between worlds.

time-read
8 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Escape from the WHITE BOX GALLERY
Town & Country US

Escape from the WHITE BOX GALLERY

Art collectors, stifle your yawns and

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Escape to WHERE TOURMALINES SPEAK LOUDER
Town & Country US

Escape to WHERE TOURMALINES SPEAK LOUDER

Desperate to mute quiet luxury?

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Escape WORTH AVENUE
Town & Country US

Escape WORTH AVENUE

Can't stomach yet another lunch at BiCE?

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Escape to THE MIND OF ELSA
Town & Country US

Escape to THE MIND OF ELSA

Are you over every influencer wearing, the same uninspired trinkets?

time-read
1 min  |
December 2024/January 2025
Escape to SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW
Town & Country US

Escape to SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW

Are you ready for lapels featuring something other than political posturing?

time-read
1 min  |
December 2024/January 2025