NEW YORK — Just two weeks before his show, Richard Chai is sitting in his Walker Street studio, cool as a cucumber. “It’s my nature,” says the designer, who will present his collection on Wednesday at noon. “I’m always pretty calm.” The fact that most of his fabrics already have been delivered and the garment-making process is well underway might just have something to do with his Zen-like spirit.
The feel for Chai’s fall collection can be summed up in one word: cozy. “I love the idea of comfortable clothes that envelope you,” he says. To portray such a mood, he’s chosen sumptuous cashmeres ranging from compact double-faces to loftier basket weaves and “air-like” gauzes, as well as heavily textured jacquards and naive embroideries. There’s also a metallic lace — which was developed in Japan, where Chai sources about half of his fabrics — that he finds particularly alluring because of the juxtaposition it offers. “Its geometric pattern takes away the typical aspects of lace, such as frilliness and prettiness, without losing the lightness and airiness that I’m looking to convey with it,” he offers.
Japan was also the origin of a classic, heavier plaid that’s featured in two colorways: alpine green and fuchsia. “They’re fairly traditional,” says Chai of the plaids, “but the shots of bright, saturated color on each really brings another dimension.”
Other Japanese finds include a tonal floral jacquard on boiled ivory wool as well as a lighter-weight, smoky lavender wool and nylon gauze with a puffy, cloud-like embroidery. “The Japanese have an incredible sensibility for intricate things,” he says. “There’s a real modernity to their techniques.”
Chai typically discovers the remainder of his fabrics, including those cozy cashmeres, in Italy. “I really like the idea of using both an Italian fabric and a Japanese one in the same look,” he says. “The mix of old-school artisan and modern really appeals to me.” As do men’s wear suitings from London’s Savile Row, which he’s using alongside a duchesse satin. “That type of contradiction is really important to the collection,” Chai says. “The mixing of different textures is key.”
The designer’s color story, meanwhile, is made up of traditional dark tones, such as charcoal, navy and olive green, combined with creamy shades of ivory and beige. Brighter, more “cyber” accents are found in the plaids, as well as in a magenta lightweight silk charmeuse from Italy. “Color is an important starting point for me,” he says, “and each season it’s different because of what I see and how I feel.”