Ralph Lauren’s big return to the Milan runway on Friday night was staggeringly on brand, from the toe-tapping big band soundtrack and tiny pigs in a blanket served on silver trays — each topped with a tiny dollop of mustard — to the handsome leading men lined up on brown leather divans, who included Colman Domingo, Tom Hiddleston and Liam Hemsworth.
You didn’t need gargantuan logos or Tyson Beckford in a teddy-bear coat and a Stetson to recognize every exit as part of Ralph’s fashion universe, from the overcharged, loud pileups of Polo Ralph Lauren merchandise that opened the show to the Milanese-chic-by-way-of-650-Madison-Avenue ensembles from the Purple Label collection.
All that’s a compliment, because despite his familiar, inimitable blend of military, Western, preppy, vintage and establishment chic, the American designer still made you look twice at his terrific camel coats, slim tartan trousers, bright orange puffer jackets, weathered jeans, chairman-of-the-board pinstripes, cashmere sweatpants and hiking boots.
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Lauren wasn’t present, but he left a note on each seat, saying his fall collection was inspired by “the different ways men live, their individuality and their personal style.”
There was a bohemian poet with paint-splattered jeans and an acoustic guitar slung over his fringed and beaded leather jacket, which must carry a four-figure price tag minimum. (His poetry must sell like hotcakes.)
Mountain men, snowboard dudes, ranchers and Ivy League types were also spotted dripping in Polo Ralph Lauren, many carrying cotton tote bags spilling colorful sweaters and dangling silver flasks.
Staged at Lauren’s stately Milan headquarters, the show segued quite abruptly to his ultra-luxury Purple Lauren Collection when a caped figure strolled into the courtyard in a tartan blazer and tuxedo pants.
Here, too, Lauren spiced his most conservative and exclusive range with playful touches and sporty references. “It’s much more of après-ski with some performance and technical ski products,” John Wrazej, senior brand creative director of men’s Polo, RLX, Purple Label and children’s Polo, told WWD during a preview.
After the finale, guests sustained their applause, waiting to see if Lauren, Wrazej or the whole design team might stroll out for a bow. Instead, out came a troupe of handsome young waiters in white jackets bearing trays of slender flutes of Champagne — also very on brand. Cheers, Ralph!
