In recent years, the settings for Ralph Lauren’s runway shows have become spectacles, something akin to displays of the designer’s power and influence. There was Central Park’s Bethesda Fountain for his 50th anniversary, or the time he recreated his Manhattan living room at the Museum of Modern Art. He once even had a fleet of cars ferry guests to the garage of his home in Bedford, New York, where he keeps his famed automobile collection (estimated value: $400m). Regardless of the location, the message was clear: go big or go home.
So it was something of an about-face when for his latest collection, shown on Monday in New York, he chose the sleek skyscraper on Madison Avenue that houses his corporate headquarters to host just 100 guests, including Kerry Washington, Anna Wintour, Jessica Chastain and Glenn Close in a sparkling white suit. As far as these things go, it was an intimate affair. It was also, he said in his press notes, a callback to his first womenswear show in 1972, shown at his office to just a few editors and friends.
This time there was no big set, just a brown rug, white walls, some oversized framed photographs and cantilevered leather-and-chrome chairs lining the room. Christy Turlington, in a monochromatic greige shirt, tie, trousers and overcoat, opened to the sounds of Billy Joel’s Just the Way You Are.
The collection, too, was in a subtler, pared-back mode, mostly in a palette of taupe, featuring nubby knits and coats over liquid-y maxi skirts or swishy sequined trousers. Glittering body-hugging gowns came topped with cowboys hats, while other models wore sharply tailored tuxedos or patinated leather ensembles that hinted at life on the ranch, albeit a very glamorous version of it. “The woman I design for has a beauty that comes from an inner confidence,” he said in the accompanying show notes. “She’ll throw a hand-tailored jacket over a glamorous evening dress. She believes in quiet sophistication not defined by time or trends. My Fall/Holiday 2024 Collection is inspired by that woman, her sense of timelessness, her individuality – a style that is for ever.”
The intimate approach is part of a growing industry trend. In February, New York designer Joseph Altuzarra held his seasonal outing in his showroom for a small crowd of editors and friends (no influencers or celebrities, which is now standard practice). Later that month, Rick Owens opened the doors to his Parisian home for his catwalk show. While Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, of the label The Row, recently asked attenders not to take photos of their presentation and provided them with notebooks and pens, to evoke a time before the internet and social media. In our era of extravagant shows, it feels as if some are yearning for more humanity in the way they approach clothing and design, as well as the way they present it. In this, Lauren certainly caught the mood.
It was notable to see him – a man who is sometimes thought of less as a designer and more of a “world builder” – mostly avoid his usual archetypes of Americana, out of 45 models only three wore cowboy hats while looks were more polished than preppy. University protests over the Israeli-Gaza conflict are roiling the country, while Alex Garland’s hit film, Civil War, chillingly imagines the country at war with itself. Indeed, there’s a shadow of anxiety looming over the country, both in reality and fiction, which is questioning what, exactly, it means to be American today. Lauren’s clothes typically steer clear of overt politics, but this season, which will be landing in stores around the time of the election, that felt particularly true.
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At 84, the designer has a lot to celebrate. He’ll no doubt get a boost from the Olympics this summer – he has been the official designer for Team USA since 2008. His dedication to prep has fascinated Gen Z, which is in the thrall of “Old Money” aesthetics, and he may, too, benefit from the recent rise of “tenniscore”, thanks in large part to the recent film Challengers. His financials reflect all this: according to his most recent quarterly earnings, reported in February, revenues were up 6%, and the company had 9% growth in sales at comparable stores.
When the designer came out for his bow, in faded jeans and a western-style shirt, the crowd leapt to its feet. That was all the spectacle they needed.
