On December 20, 1964, Ralph Lauren married his wife, Ricky Lauren, after just six months, having met in the eye doctor’s office where she worked as a receptionist. Over 61 years of loving matrimony, she remains by the designer’s side for his finale bow each season – as she did yesterday afternoon at Lauren’s S/S 2027 womenswear show, which was held at the Clock Tower Building in Tribeca and marked the opening act of this season’s New York Fashion Week (albeit unofficially: Ralph Lauren and Coach both chose to show the day before the schedule’s official start on Thursday).
Which means it’s safe to say that Lauren – a stalwart of American style who is currently enjoying a renaissance as the fashion world embraces the preppy aesthetic for which he is best known – knows plenty about romance. Prior to the show, guests received a bouquet of white tulips, delphinium and hydrangeas, as one might woo a potential love interest (or indeed for acts of diplomacy with a longtime partner), setting the tone for a show which the designer described as ‘an irreverent take on romance’.
Soundtracked by the swooning ‘I Found My Love in Portofino’ and The Police’s ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’, the collection itself saw Lauren riff on hallmarks of romantic dress – among them ruffles, corsages, lace and feather – in the designer’s easy, insouciant style. Much of the ‘irreverence’ lay in the often eclectic mix-up of garments, which swayed between masculine tailoring (a tailored pinstripe waistcoat, dress shirt and wide tie referenced early designs for his Polo line, launched in 1967) and diaphanous, body-skimming dresses in plissé organza, lace and silk. Such juxtapositions ran throughout: shredded denim jeans, a nod towards Lauren’s longtime fascination with the workwear fabric, were worn with ladylike brocade jackets or shirts trimmed with colourful slices of shearling and feathers.
Other garments seemed to move between decades, often in a single look: waistcoats evoked at once the 1920s and the 2000s, the latter also referenced in the low-slung cut of trousers or in parka-style jackets adorned with boa-like feather trims. Elsewhere, a touch of Louis XIV grandeur was found in the corseted line of ceremonial jackets and billowing ruffled collars – albeit in Lauren’s contemporary, undone style. Undone too were a series of ‘spritz and tumble’ pieces, a technique which left garments purposefully rumpled and creased.
Ralph and Ricky Lauren, who have been married for over 61 years, at the show yesterdat
In a letter distributed to guests – which included his usual coterie of celebrity well-wishers, among them Cynthia Erivo, Viola Davis and Elizabeth Debicki – Lauren called it a proposition for ‘a new elegance’. ‘It’s about ways of dressing that celebrate ingenuity, originality and character,’ he continued. ‘The freedom and fun of creating a style which is truly personal.’
Stay tuned to wallpaper.com for more from New York Fashion Week.