The Tamesis
If Ralph Lauren was a bartender, who could stay away from the sauce? To our delight, his endless talent for creative mixology is dedicated to creating intoxicating, trendy new flavors. This season’s women’s Polo collection is yet another example of his endless ability to inspire taste.
“It was very much inspired by Ralph himself in New York City in the 1970s and some of his early women’s collections,” said Karen Brown Brody, who serves as senior brand creative director for women’s polo shirts under Lauren’s guidance. Brown Brody reports that Lauren has been in New York fine-tuning today’s lineup right up to the last minute before models walk into the new format at Marais Art Space. They appeared once at a time, show-style, but then wandered in groups on the unpolished floor runway at the edge of the room, allowing the standing audience to enjoy the collection at their leisure. Unlike the collection itself, the presentation and display format is hybrid, unconventional, and effective.
When asked to nominate a look that embodies this style, Brown-Brody chose a brown-to-black shawl-collar top and matching trousers, paired with brown leather boot-toed monk shoes, “and a plaid shirt, like the one Ralph got from K-Mart.” Lauren’s famous move reflects the brand’s passion for clothes that gain emotional and visual value through wear, similar to the watch world’s fondness for “beater” timepieces: the collection is filled with such pieces.
Key examples include a fringed suede jacket designed in collaboration with husband-and-wife duo Jocy and Trae Little Sky as part of Lauren’s artist-in-residence program. A navy knitted football shirt, a rodeo western belt, a cropped patch-pocket denim jacket, a new saddle-stitched soft leather bag called the Blaze, a tie-print scarf, and a very Ralph green-collared western in tough duck cotton all looked new but also seemed to hold a wealth of potential or patina.
Fashion contextualizes clothing according to a hierarchy that reflects social class. Yet there is a strong sense of horizontal democracy here that goes beyond the high-low dress trope. That tuxedo-collar coat echoes Lauren’s affordable (but valuable) plaid shirt, pair a raglan coat with double denim, or a bomber with a tailored coat, or a hooded plaid duffel with a white cotton hoodie, sandwiched with a tailored suede jacket. This Polo collection is a mixture of elitism. The new way to present the series is also interesting and definitely worth exploring further.
