Originally commissioned by New York heiress Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo, the building at 867 Madison Avenue—now simply known as the Ralph Lauren mansion—is as stately as retail spaces come. The designer may have presented collections in this, one of his flagship New York stores, in the past, but none as monumental as the one he would show today outside its doors, the brand’s first foray into see-now-buy-now territory. Lauren announced the news just days earlier, and pulled some pretty major strings to make the event a New York affair to remember—the mayor’s office was called in to help him shut down the block. He got some pretty traffic-stopping A-list names on board both his front row and his runway, including Hollywood stars Julianne Moore and Jessica Alba, and supermodels such as Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner.
Stepping out onto the sidewalk in an oversize weather-worn leather jacket with brutalist-inspired statement jewelry jangling around her neck and at her ear lobes, Jenner set the tone for Lauren’s Fall 2016 collection. Three parts Western and one part Art Deco glamour, the new clothes fed into themes that have been reverberating at the core of the brand since Lauren launched it almost five decades ago. Jenner herself has been picking up the thread on the Western look this summer, and was spotted swanning about town in L.A. in a vintage fringed leather jacket not unlike the one she wore today. There was a lot to satisfy the instant-gratification of social media–engaged fashion fans here overall; elevated versions on familiar Americana classics, like the buffalo-check shirt, and the cowboy shirt which was rendered in black—all the better to wear in the city—and finished with pretty white embroidery. There was plenty of color to be had as far as eveningwear went, on the other hand, though it was the pieces with a minimalist palette that hit home the most. British model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who has reportedly moved to the States, was eyeing up the sequin suit that was covered in a black and gold Southwestern motif, for example. Of course for Huntington-Whiteley and the other high-profile women on the shop floor tonight, having access to clothes straight off the runway is nothing new. Shoppers who come through the doors opposite the Ralph Lauren mansion tomorrow morning, however, will be walking onto a new and entirely level retail playing field.
The following review was written about the brand’s previous Fall 2016 show.
Ralph Lauren loves to fly the flag for all-American design, but he’s always had a soft spot for old-world pursuits and traditions, as well. Actress Sienna Miller was the star guest at the brand’s presentation this morning and had a front row vantage point for all the Britishisms in the collection, ranging from English hunting gear to Elizabethan garb.
The show opened with a passage of neutral looks, and the first models came out wearing billowing high-waisted pants and neatly tailored blazers in shades of beige, a color that has long been a Lauren signature. That monochromatic styling made way for more distinctive themes, starting with the plaid-on-plaid knit tube skirts and fringed capes, and a Navajo-inspired jacket that managed to conjure the outdoorsy spirit of the English countryside and an arid landscape of the American West all at once. One of the most appealing coats in the collection had a cozy, robelike silhouette and was cut from a patchwork of tweeds that could have been swiped straight from Sherlock Holmes’s closet.
Elizabeth I seemed to be Lauren’s main muse when it came time for eveningwear: Karlie Kloss appeared in a long sweeping black dress finished with a dramatic ruffled collar. As if that weren’t regal enough, there was also a pleated velvet dress that was fastened at the neck with the Queen’s golden coat of arms. But it was the subtler renditions of this idea, such as the little black dress worn by Taylor Hill or the velvet frock coats, that pushed the notion that you can be royal, too, in a real way.
