Smack dab in the age of comebacks, Ralph Lauren‘s return to New York Fashion Week arrived right on time.
After a four-year, pandemic-era hiatus that also included a stint in Los Angeles last season, the designer made his return to NYFW in his usual grand fashion, but with a few more intimate details. It wasn’t the extravaganza that was his 50th anniversary show, back in 2018, but the event still brought out the usual star power. Jennifer Lopez, Diane Keaton, Julianne Moore, Mindy Kaling, Gabrielle Union, Amanda Seyfried and more joined the event to watch the designer’s runway return.
To properly show the eclectic and rustic spring ’24 collection, Ralph Lauren transformed a Brooklyn Navy Yard space into a glamorous, chandelier-filled barn setting, which also served as the location for the brand’s VIP dinner following the show.
On the runway, classic RL codes were remixed to a more eclectic look. Romantic goth florals mingled on denim, as did Delft porcelain inspired prints. Later on, piles of beaded jewelry were worn atop colorful silk trousers, jackets and thigh-baring wrap skirts. Towards the finale, a series of jewel-toned silk gowns with fringe accents were the veritable eye candy of the show, culminating in Christy Turlington closing the show in a gold Grecian-inspired gown. Throughout the collection, there were still plenty of the usual RL vibes for the Aspen and Dallas set (or their wannabes), with lots of fringe here and there, plus a few Western hats and big silver belts — though it should be noted that nary a Western boot was seen.
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Instead, footwear saw classic RL sandals with embellished updates, particularly in a black-and-gold T-strap heels and metallic peep-toe heels (whether the silhouette is making its imminent comeback remains to be seen). There were also plenty of two-strap sandals, too, echoing a focus on simplicity in footwear also seen elsewhere for spring ’24.
