Richard Chai on the Importance of Taking (Smart!) Fashion Risks
It’s one of the most widely doled-out fashion tips ever: take risks. But what’s not often considered is that taking a risk can sometimes be a bad thing—cue Björk’s now-iconic swan dress, or that time Celine Dion wore a low-back white suit with a Robin Hood hat.
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New York-based designer Richard Chai knows this, and opened up to StyleCaster at the launch party for his collaboration with leather designer Andrew Marc at Scoop in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood.
“[I think it’s important] to take a bit of a risk, but always still want to look very beautiful,” Chai told us. “I think it’s really important and appropriate. Sometimes people take risks just for the sake of taking a risk, and it doesn’t really suit who they are. What’s really important in the end is that they still really look like themselves.”
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But how does a woman make sure she’s dressing like “herself,” per se?
“You have to feel comfortable and know what works for you. There’s always going to be trends, and there’s always going to be fly-by-the-minute each season, but they don’t work for everyone,” he says. “So you have to dissect and really know who you are and what works for you.”
A good place to start: heed the advice of fashion icon Iris Apfel and go through some trial-and-error to find your own personal style. Just know when the benefits aren’t outweighing the risk!
