The living room of Ralph Lauren, perched high above Fifth Avenue, is a vision of New York depicted in black, white, and chrome, and it is a dream come true for anybody who loves the city. A place of Gatsby desire and fairytale success, with Central Park and the city below, all glittering lights and Frank Sinatra promise, as its background.
As a result, the metropolis appears through a lens that is devoid of irony and romantically, almost willfully naive, and it can appear to be straight out of another time. This is because it is rooted in an indistinct era before the challenges of the last two years emptied streets and stores, before protests and long overdue social reckonings took place. Despite this, it has a certain allure that is difficult to resist. In fact, Mr. Lauren demonstrated this on Tuesday night when he opened the doors to his flat and welcomed everyone in for his first live concert in the city since 2019. It was his first live show in the city since 2019.
While he had intended to open the doors to his apartment and allow everyone in, it was urged to him by his son David, who now serves as the company’s chief branding and innovation officer, that this would not be the greatest idea. The flat is spacious, yet it is not too so.
Mayor Eric Adams was in attendance, mingling with Anna Wintour on a set of sofas that had been earmarked for family members. Just a few feet away, Jeremy Strong was deep in discussion with Jessica Chastain; Lily Collins and Janelle Monáe were deep in conversation with Henry Golding; and Jeremy Strong was deep in conversation with Jessica Chastain. On one hand, there was political royalty in the form of Naomi and Finnegan Biden, and on the other, there was TikTok royalty (Wisdom Kaye, Noah Beck).
Polo Ralph Lauren will be the name of Mr. Lauren’s new collection, which will be unveiled next week. Exclusively for Morehouse and Spelman Colleges, he created a collection that pushed the limits of his design storytelling, but his MoMA collection (which will be on display until autumn 2022) was a return to his classic dreamscapes. Styles that have Champagne in their DNA and conjure up images of evenings at the Carlyle, ski trips to Aspen, and convertibles in the Hamptons, to name a few examples. That act as a portal to a fabled Manhattan that lives largely in myth, F. Scott Fitzgerald novels, and Ralph’s imagination and life.
In other words, men and women in houndstooth and tweed; pleated white pants and deep pile velvet; and the odd necktie (ties! ties!) Do you remember them?). An unbuttoned white shirt was tucked into pinstriped slacks, and a black-and-white striped silk bathrobe was knotted around the waist with a pair of matching spats below. A sequined Fair Isle sweater dress with a high neck and long sleeves was the star of the show. Cowboy hats were mixed up with LBDs and bright red cutaways for a casual, but stylish look. At the hem of one long black garment, a crystal-encrusted skyline of the city was engraved into the fabric.
In his show notes, Mr. Lauren stated that when he developed the collection, the conflict in Ukraine had not yet started, and that he was thinking only about the potential of the country’s re-emergence as a fashion destination. He wished to spread “an optimism for life that respects the dignity of everyone,” he said in his letter.
The show ended with an appearance by a lady dressed in a tuxedo, a New York Yankees hat on her head and a baseball jacket thrown over her shoulders. If you dress for it, will it come to you?
That is yet to be determined (though Mr. Adams is clearly a believer). However, there is one approach to ensure that you look exceptionally well while waiting.
