Ruffian channels Downton Abbey and sexy librarians for its fall/winter 2012 collection

“The ShOws” second presentation of the evening came from New York–based label Ruffian, created by Brian Wolk and Claude Morais (Morais is from Montreal, while Wolk is a New York native). Fortunately for organizer Paola Fullerton, more guests flooded the Ritz-Carlton at the 7:30 p.m. show, like Zoomer’s Suzanne Boyd, Flare’s Lisa Tant (just back from Paris) and Citytv’s Mary Kitchen.

Click here to see Ruffian’s fall/winter 2012 collection »

The collection was a hybrid of looks, feeling partly inspired by the English countryside (or perhaps Downton Abbey), with plaid tartan print pants, double-breasted jackets, grey tweeds and oversized bowler hats, and by a Marc Jacobs–esque sexy librarian (seen in a high-necked silk top with lace details at the neck and sleeves, blouses tied at the top paired with leather skirts and a blue double-breasted power suit with a silk bow at the neck). Though most ensembles were saved from looking dowdy (as can often be the case with such a patrician theme), a bright red safari jacket with velvet pants looked a little matronly (like our Irish grandmother would have bought at Talbot’s). Our favourite looks were an olive green cape with large black buttons up the centre and a silk top with lace detailing. Who’d have thought a label with a name like Ruffian (pronounced Roof-ian, but still) would have such an uptown, day-at-the-stables aesthetic?