At 84, Ralph Lauren’s star-studded shows can still outdo them all
Have you binge-watched Perfect Couple, the new Nicole Kidman hit on Netflix that’s set amongst the so-rich-they-can-get-away-with-murder elite in Nantucket yet? More to the point, have you marked the beachy-glam outfits?
If you’re hankering for that aspirational East Coast resort look – the polo shirts, floaty dresses, button-down shirts, that wrap cardi that somehow just works flung over a floaty dress – then you’re reading the right column. Ralph Lauren pretty much wrote the book on it. And this was the collection to prove it.
You always hope for a Moment at a fashion show. Ralph Lauren dished up a whole menu of them. Naomi Campbell came eyeball to eyeball with Anna Wintour for the first time since their supposed spat at an awards ceremony on Tuesday.
A sleek, slender, black Ralph Lauren tuxedo’d Jill Biden mingled at the preshow cocktail party with relatively laid-back burly bodyguards in tow (did she approve of Wintour’s Kamala Harris scarf, or secretly want to rip it from her neck?).
Christy Turlington (glowing), made a rare catwalk appearance. In fact she made two.
Jude Law (good hair), Tom Hiddleston (great pinstripe suit), Naomi Watts, Laura Dern (both always classy) and her daughter, Rufus Wainwright in a belted cardigan (the “cocktails” dress code is always loose at a Lauren event) all did their celeb-y thing of chatting with civilians, whilst somehow maintaining an invisible cordon sanitaire around themselves.
Various US Olympians posed with their gold medals, wearing jackets Lauren had designed for the team, while immaculate equestrians trotted around on gleaming horses. Lauren’s personal world-class collection of vintage Jaguars, Mercedes and Alfa Romeos were faux casually parked in front of white clapboard buildings.
Welcome to The Hamptons, where Lauren, a day ahead of New York Fashion Week’s official opening, decided to show this season. This occasionally wild and wildly expensive stretch of Long Island, 90 miles from Manhattan has, he says, not only been his home for decades (he has a spread in Montauk), but “my refuge and always my inspiration”.
The Polo Bar, that dark wood-panelled magnet for old-school New York dining which he first opened in New York City in 2015, was recreated – panel by panel, monogrammed plate by plate – for one night only, in a marquee next to the catwalk.
Then there was the show itself, unusually long and hugely enjoyable (two traits which are generally mutually exclusive). This was Planet Ralph at its most seductive. From the multicultural, multi-generational casting (cue adorable tots and tweens) to the inclusion of all of his ranges, including Polo, the Western/vintage-flavoured RRL, and the premium women’s collection and men’s Purple Label, this had something for everyone. Approaching 85, Ralph is having a moment with Gen Z, who avidly stalk Polo Ralph Lauren on Vinted and eBay.
Preppy style is huge again: loafers, cable knits, blazers, pleated skirts, Stars and Stripes sweaters. Think of actress Zendaya at Wimbledon in a tweed jacket, stripy shirt and tie (all Ralph Lauren), or Miu Miu’s recent embrace of deck shoes. But never mind Miu Miu. No designer is more associated with luxed-up versions of the preppy genre than Lauren.
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There was plenty of prep in this show, but so much more. For the glam Real Housewife of East Hampton who religiously works out at Tracy Anderson, there’s a shimmery sequinned fishtail maxi skirt worn with a tank vest. For the modern dandy on vacation, tweed jackets, waistcoats and ties with primary-coloured trousers. For cultivated yacht fanciers: patchwork shirts over stripy T-shirts and tapered white trousers. For the rich hippy who dreams of Tangier but can’t drag herself from Sag Harbor, ankle-length striped shirts layered over trousers and under a waistcoat, topped with a sequinned beanie. All this plus a series of new bags including buckets and roomy crossbody phone pouches.
More than anything, this is about a despite-everything-life-is-good vibe and a slew of styling tips. In Ralph Land, there is no outfit that can’t be improved by the addition of a stripy T-shirt. Always mix day with night (a dress shirt with denim shorts is the new sexy). When in doubt, add a neckerchief, a low-slung belt, cowboy boots or velvet loafers. Keep it clean or pile it on. Clash patterns. Or don’t. Minimalists, cowboys, bankers, rich slackers, not-rich-yet grafters can all seek and find a sliver of the American dream here.
Despite the celebrity attendance, the evening was all about Lauren, who flanked by Campbell and Turlington, took his bow accompanied by Ricky, his wife of 60 years, to a standing ovation that seemed genuinely heart-felt. Maybe there’s another Netflix Perfect Couple series idea right there.
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