Purple Label remains the acme of Ralph Lauren’s expression of luxury. However, since the brand rationalization that has seen it swallow the function of Black Label—a sportier, more casual voice in the Lauren choir—it has become a broader church whose remit runs beyond the boardroom.
Witness the fantastically sleek steam-sealed shearling and technical alpine and urban outerwear clustered around a pair of bespoke skis in carbon fiber and burled wood (there was a snowboard, too). Or a cream-heavy section of ruggedly styled shaggy-shearling looks that were The Revenant–meets–the Ritz, because who can’t imagine Leo beguiling bears in a pair of cashmere spa pants? Particularly powerful was the inverted shearling worn by Lucky Blue in a finish that looked wolfish and featured toggles inspired by—but not made of—seal’s teeth. A trucker jacket in cowhide and a ragged-hemmed suede jacket with fringing and faux rough-woven-edging details—both worn over hearty leather belts with hand-tooled buckles—all spoke strongly of this house’s long-honed rancher angle.
This fantasy masculine montage transitioned once more, shifting from big country to high society: A richly patterned jacquard evening jacket (with matching slippers) and a devilish all-black hussar jacket were the standouts in a section that included a subtly military-touched tuxedo.
Luxury business suiting is still a key part—if no longer the core—of the Purple Label proposition. The formal suits featured lightly roped jackets otherwise unlined, in a palette of complementary grays. At the end of the line this collection brought it all together with a black suit cut sharp in a ski-suitable performance nylon. The message? Everything that the Ralph alpha male might possibly hanker for lives under one, Purple, label.
