New on the Radar - RICHARD CHAI:
Almost no designer in recent memory has been the subject of so much attention and pre show buzz than young Richard Chai a relative unknown who nonetheless had a stellar lineup of important editors, retailers, and fashion insiders attend his early Saturday morning show - September 11th as it turns out. He was even the subject of a front page article in the "Style" section of The New York Times on the Sunday following the end of Fashion Week, ("Richard Chai, Working the Buzz", by Guy Trebay, September 19). Of course, not every young designer can say they worked for the revered and highly regarded Marc Jacobs, which added to the interest and allure.

As it turns out, the rather minimalist, pared down collection could not be termed a major, defining moment in fashion, but there were some nice pieces shown and he certainly held his own. He wisely kept it all rather basic and well edited in terms of color (white, tan, pearl gray, accented with soft pastels- buttery yellow, mint green- and some bright blue and red thrown in for a jolt) and in terms of his shapes. Fabrics used were cotton sateen, organza, voile, and georgette, and silhouettes were flatteringly close to the body with tulip- hemmed skirts hitting just above the knee. There were also some narrow pants and shorts. His best efforts were evident in simple pieces (like the sculptural white hip length jacket worn with cream tulip skirt, the bright blue shirt with white collar and cuffs paired with slim tan pants, an orange sateen shirt with pagoda-like short sleeves paired with a chino colored narrow skirt). Time will tell whether or not the orders from Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, or Barneys New York will roll in, if he will received all important editorials in major fashion bibles, or develop a customer base.