NEW YORK, Sep 24, 2002/ --- The lingering question when one left the catwalk show of Chado Ralph Rucci, given his devoted and growing following among mature ladies, is though his clothes clearly work for ladies of a certain age, would younger women really want to wear his designs?

Rucci is an accomplished tailor blessed with a fine taste for good fabrics and design.

The collection he presented Thursday had plenty to recommend it, but would the young ladies modeling the outfits ever think of wearing them outside of the Sony Studio where the show was staged?

One couldn't help thinking of the models, because the show started a full 75 minutes late as we waited for the catwalkers to make it over from Catherine Malandrino, the previous show on the calendar.

And then halfway through the show a wonderful soundtrack by Hiro Ida suddenly stopped, leaving the young models awkwardly eyeing one another as they traipsed around the studio.

The models certainly looked poised in Rucci's clothes - beautiful hand-painted cashmere raincoats, exceptional silk shantung pants, lavish linen shawls, grain de prouder dresses with leather inserts and an exceptional black/white oversize check blouse worn by Alek Wek.

Poised but also generously proportioned in more than a few looks, as Rucci's forgiving looks added a few pounds with their trapunto jackets, grandiose gowns and double face coats.

But branding Rucci as a designer for big ladies would be completely unfair.

His fluted silk jersey gowns were models of modern classicism that hung beautifully.

So there were looks that the models would feasibly wear -- just maybe not enough of them.