Ralph’s back in town. More than 20 years since he staged a show in Milan, the American fashion titan returned to Italy with a bang. He didn’t come alone, bringing along with him a star-studded front row including Nick Jonas, Tom Hiddleston, Liam Hemsworth and Colman Domingo.
The timing feels right. The last year has seen a return to prep across menswear, where designers far and wide have reconfigured and retooled a look first pioneered by Mr Lauren himself. A new generation of fashion fans have fallen in love with the world of Ralph, too: the brand has become a go-to for teens and twenty-somethings globally, who’ve taken to hunting down vintage Ralph finds, taking to TikTok to show off their trophy finds.
The designer chose to show his Purple Label and Polo AW26 collections together in a salon style show. The latter had an outdoorsy feel. Gorpcore fans will be delighted with camo utility trousers, paired nicely with hazard orange puffers, fleeces and Fair Isle knits. Flannel shirts were chopped up and Frankenstein-ed together to create cosy jackets, while corduroy trousers came embroidered with cute little ducks and denim came distressed.
Moving into more formal territory, highlights for the Purple Label ranged from inky blue velvet tuxedos, pinstripe Wall Street suits, buttery leather trenches with shearling collars and an all-in-one nylon jumpsuit accented with a handmade belt adorned with turquoise stones made by Neil Zarama of the Chiricahua Apache Nation.
Ralph has a particular talent of making sophisticated dressing look easy and comfortable. Take the closing look work by legendary supermodel Tyson Beckford, for instance: a cowboy hat, paired with a a hefty teddy bear fur coat and a tux tucked into thick woolly socks and walking boots. Ace stuff all round.
Photography courtesy of Ralph Lauren.
