Ruffian New Dance Group Studio 305 West 38th Street February 2, 2008 Written by Wendy R. Williams Photographed by Mary Blanco Opposite Photo: Model Renee

We almost did not cover the Ruffian show; it was being held away from Bryant Park, way over on the Westside of Manhattan on a cold wet Saturday night. And to top things off, the PR company said they could only offer a standing pass to the show. And not one of the New York Cool writers, not even one of the interns, was willing to sign on to cover the show. But one of our top photographers, Mary Blanco, was flying in from San Francisco the day before for Fashion Week and she liked the line (Mary photographed the show in February 2006) and wanted to cover the show. So off we went to see the Wizards in their Garmentico Oz.

The show ran late. Perhaps they were waiting for an audience because at 8:30 (the show was scheduled for 8PM), despite the presence of a celebrity (the young Barbara Bush in a smart hounds tooth cape over a vintage-looking black dress with a lace yoke), the audience was still only a little over half-full, with empty seats on the front row, even next to Ms. Bush.

But then the show started and all inconvenience was instantly forgotten. Ruffian presented a stunning rocker-chic line of clothing and their models were some of the sharpest-looking, street-wise-strutting models I saw during all of Fashion Week. The garments had a seventies retro "I'm hanging with the Stones" vibe. The line was super sexy but definitely had an "I don't have to try very hard" look, as in "I just put on whatever happened to be draped on the chaise lounge next to the fireplace in my dressing room."

Congratulations to designers Brian Wolk and Claude Morais for a great show. And it is truly a shame that they did not get the standing-room-only crowd they were obviously expecting and truly deserved.

For more information on Ruffian, log onto: ruffian.com

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