Ralph Lauren has ridden out West countless times in his 40-plus-year career, but he always manages to corral something new. His latest take on cowgirl couture happens to be right in line with some of New York's big trends. To start with, the collection was rendered predominantly in that noncolor of the season: white, mixed here with shots of pale sky blue and some silver accents. The arts-and-crafts tendency we've been seeing? Lauren touched on that, too, in the form of some very wearable tatted lace tablecloth dresses. And if you're shopping for a statement blouse—say, something with a fancy sleeve or a high Victorian collar—there'll be no better place to look than the designer's first New York flagship dedicated to womenswear at 888 Madison Avenue, set to open next month. All of which is to say: Ralph's home on the range is a very urbane kind of place.
Only Lauren could be quite so brazen with fringe. Long strands of the stuff decorated the opening off-white leather jacket; silver beads swung from an embellished little evening skirt, paired irreverently with a man's colorful plaid button-down; and in between, a model wore fringed brown leather pants not unlike the ones the designer himself sported to take his bow. Lauren rustled up some wild accessories for accompaniment, too, including iconic blanket bags, bull's-head belt buckles, and suede chokers studded with natural stones. But he drew the line at cowboy hats; those would be too gimmicky. He was firmly in control of his material, and it was a smooth gallop from start to finish.
