Ruffian is known for their unique style of taking classic couture and mixing it with a cutting edge twist and the debut of their Spring 2013 collection continued that theme.

Before the show, designer Brain Wolk explained that he wanted the collection to represent “couture meets street”. The Russian Imperial Court inspired the designers but they wanted to take that elite image and mix it in with the streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Backstage as the models were getting their hair, makeup, and nails done, the overall feel of the collection was starting to come alive. The hair for the show, done by Bumble and Bumble, featured a prominent high teased poof at the crown of the head and the rest was left down and straight. Makeup, done my MAC professionals, was kept minimalistic save for emphasis on a heavy brow.

Keri Blair who was in charge of nails described the trend for spring as “rich pastels with some dirtiness”. Nails were one of four colors: white, rose pink, royal blue, and vibrant yellow.

The first look on the runway featured a navy peplum jacket, a double bow blouse, and blue boy shorts. This collection featured a lot of tailored structure as well as pieces that had fluid movement. Another prevalent aspect was high or detailed collars, which gave off the imperial vibe.  Colors and patterns were very important in this collection. The line had a bit of everything from pastel pinks and yellows to blues and whites.

To close the show, they featured a menswear for women look which consisted of a boy blazer, a pink halter neck top in the pink Williamsburg print, and a boy pant.

Although each outfit looked high fashion and couture, each was paired with a pair of Converse to embody the edgy Ruffian image.

Justyna Torres is a contributing writer. Email her at [email protected].