Ralph Lauren Makes a Glamorous Return to New York Fashion Week
Shown at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Friday evening, the designer’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection rewrites romance.
Ralph Lauren’s Spring/Summer 2024 show was one of the most-anticipated runways of this New York Fashion Week. The 83-year-old designer is the unofficial emperor of American fashion, but he has not shown on the official New York calendar since September 2019 (when he debuted his high-end supper club, Ralph’s Club, on Wall Street). That was true, until Friday evening.
On September 8, Lauren’s comeback was staged in an assuming warehouse at the Brooklyn Navy Yard; inside, the venue was transformed into a rustic artist’s loft, made wealthy with glistening chandeliers, draped canvas and wooden textures. There, the designer’s idyllic silhouettes offered an eclectic contrast to their pastoral backdrop.
“My Spring 2024 women’s collection is about a new kind of romance— cool and sophisticated,” said Lauren. The line looked to champion personal style through classics, rather than adhering to trends of the moment: artistic faded denim preceded painterly floral prints, while glamorous black and gold dresses provided a luxurious shine that felt true to his Americana.
It was signature Lauren, with a tinge of up-ticked tailoring. (The brand is, after all, raising its prices in pursuit of even-higher prestige.) Upscale daywear smoothly transitioned into flowing eveningwear, and dichotomous pairings proved pivotal to many ensembles: signature polos were worn over tulle skirts, and baggy trousers, caught at the ankle, were kept relaxed with RL-branded baseball caps. Across the board, embroidery, bedazzlement, garment-dying and intentional distressing reminded onlookers of the designer’s technical design prowess.
In Lauren’s words, the collection mirrored “the stories of the woman I design for whose individuality and artistic spirit are a canvas for her own self-expression.” The closing look — a shimmering gold gown featuring a cape and one open shoulder, modeled by super Christy Turlington — expertly articulated this confident sentiment, and the foregoing ensembles did so too, through bold colors, handcrafted details and skin-bearing finishes. Those who pull from this collection will want to be seen, and it’s safe to expect the Polo Bar’s glossy crowd to be drenched in these romantic ensembles come spring.
View Ralph Lauren’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection in the gallery above, and stay tuned to Hypebeast for more New York Fashion Week coverage.
