In October, Ralph Lauren, the esteemed New York City-born designer followed in the post-Covid-19-pandemic path of ever so many Americans when he ditched the Big Apple for the sunnier climes of California. It was actually the first time Lauren had ever held a runway show on the West Coast, and he ended up choosing the Huntington Library of San Marino (around 25 km northeast of Los Angeles) as the prominent backdrop.
The show itself was a confident and appealing demonstration of Americana with a deeply patinated tribute to 19th century western life. But, in a departure from his usual preference of only showing Purple Label, Lauren decided to mix it up by mingling in his Double RL and Polo collections too. The result was 43 looks involving suede tailored sports coats, herringbone blazers, denim suits, pleated linen shorts, straight-legged jeans, Western buckled belts, trainers and cable-knit sweaters, with Stetsons and cowboy boots thrown in for good measure. For anyone else the message might have been lost in such a cacophony but Lauren has a way of making even his California dreaming make sense. “A mix of grit and glamour, energy and inspiration” was the way he summarised it in his programme notes. For us, the looks were all very wearable and a keen reminder that the 83-year-old icon's light still burns bright.
