• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.164-181
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• 2014

As the boundary between fashion and architecture is getting blurred, the interactions of the two fields are turning out abundant as well as essential. This study investigates the tectonic strategies in architectural fashion design as a novel aesthetic in the 21st century by combining literary survey and case analysis on architecture and contemporary fashion. The tectonic strategies in the works of architectural fashion designers were categorized as follows: organic geometry, technological garment construction, and independent space. Organic geometry transforms basic geometric shapes into subtle organic forms after being thrown on the body. Technological garment construction explores the garment structure and volume by applying the structural principle of suspension and fractal geometry. Independent space refers to maintaining the firm three-dimensionality of garment structure which keeps the distance from the body, assuming the similarity to architecture.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.1-13
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• 2017

Ralph Rucci, the first American designer who presented official collections at Paris Couture since Mainbocher, is known for his innovative dressmaking techniques and sculptural forms. Accompanied by literature survey, this study examines the aesthetics of Ralph Rucci's designs by content analysis of his works, Rucci's designs since his debut collection of 1994 until he left the Chado Ralph Rucci label in 2014 and his returning collection under the new label, RR331, in 2016. Ralph Rucci developed his creative designs by the following strategies: First, he reinvents the couture tradition of Balenciaga and $Gr{\grave{e}}s$ into progressive and functional American couture in that he gives consideration to a wearer's movements and comforts. Second, Rucci constructs architectural volume based on human anatomy and architectonic strategies, with the attention to three-dimensional quality of the space built between the body and a garment. Third, he conducts engineered construction summarized by his original 'suspension' techniques, which function as both ornamentation and construction.