In his first show since Covid-19, Ralph Lauren transformed a long room at the Museum of Modern Art into a cosy salon on Tuesday night to unveil a collection of mostly black and white for men and women.
His models, including Gigi and Bella Hadid, meandered through guests seated on couches and black easy chairs wearing classic, tailored, white trousers and jackets, cocktail attire and slinky, sequined evening dresses. There were pops of black leather, pinstripes and plaid in red and black, with a smattering of elevated riding gear and ski-inspired Nordic knits.
The show of opulence for his autumn/winter women's collection, an upscale line, and his latest for the high-end Purple Label for men was conceived months before war broke out in Ukraine, Lauren acknowledged in his notes. At the time, he said: “The tragedy and devastation we are witnessing now was unthinkable.”
Guests dressed in cocktail attire sipped Champagne and nibbled hors d’oeuvre as Jessica Chastain, Henry Golding, Janelle Monae, Mayor Eric Adams, Jeremy Strong and other notables had their pictures snapped by an unusually small contingent of photographers.
Monae performed the last time Lauren showed in September 2019 during New York Fashion Week, turning a Wall Street space into a jazzy nightclub of yesteryear. This time, he skipped frenetic fashion week in February and went off-calendar instead. He had intimate togetherness on his mind after his pandemic break, paring down his crowd and going for a relaxed vibe amid coffee tables appointed with stacked books and objets d’art.
“This moment means a lot to me because it also marks my return to New York. I haven’t been in New York since the last show, so it’s an honour to be here again,” Monae, a guest rather than a singer this time around, told Associated Press.
Gigi opened the show in black trousers and a black V-neck sweater emblazoned with the RL logo over a white button-up. Her sister walked in a form-hugging, white evening gown with a cut-out neck and back.
One of Lauren's evening dresses, in black, was adorned with a New York City skyline in silver at the hem. Many of his models wore two-tone “spectator” shoes in contrasting black and white.
Golding was also on hand for Lauren's 2019 show. “It’s good to see people’s faces, like the world moved on, and I think it’s about time,” he told AP.
Mr Adams, mayor since January, sported a black coat with a yellow panel on one side painted with African masks, a miniature of himself and a tiny New York street sign.
“This is the new mayor wardrobe in New York,” he joked. “Our city is back. This is the fashion capital.”
At the end of the show, after the finale walk for his models, Lauren appeared from behind an elevated entrance platform and waved, lingering for a moment to take it all in.
“So, in the midst of this sadness, we go forward united in our hope for peace, and our hope for the end of this pandemic and a return to being together,” he said in his notes. “I am so proud to be with you again, sharing not only a collection but an optimism for living that respects the dignity of all.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
