We were at Ralph Lauren’s 650 Madison Avenue headquarters for his show tonight. A few hours before its start time, a press release came through: The designer’s first womenswear show—in 1972!—was also held in his offices. In the 52 years that separate that inaugural moment and this one, much has changed, as black-and-white photos tracked down on Getty Images attest.
In those early pictures, it was all editors and industry types in the small crowd—the lensman Bill Cunningham, who was not yet at the New York Times, staked out a spot on the floor. This evening, Glenn Close, Jessica Chastain, and Kerry Washington glided through the doors, among many other celebrities. Also not a thing back then: a post-show dinner at the Polo Bar, with models in the glen plaid pantsuits and long bias-cut slips they wore on the runway.
What has remained uniquely consistent over the decades, of course, is Lauren’s aesthetic. “The woman I design for has a beauty that comes from an inner confidence,” he noted in his press release. “My collection is inspired by that woman, her sense of timelessness, her individuality—a style that is forever.” The show’s opening song, Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are,” seemed chosen to call attention to that constancy, as did the first model Christy Turlington, who backstage told a story about meeting Lauren in an elevator as she was beginning her career in the 1980s.
Turlington wore neat tailoring, a tie tucked into the waistband of her trousers, with an RL 888 leather tote in the same shade of buff gray as her clothing. Neckties and power suits were recurring sights on the fall runways, as if happens; for Lauren they’re not seasonal affectations, but rather pieces that he’s returned to over the years, sharpening and finetuning them the way a performer learns his lines.
He’s always had a flair for the cinematic; a klieg light set up in one corner of the showroom reminded us of that, as did looks like a leather horse wrangler’s jacket and suede pants worn with a neckerchief and 10 gallon hat that might’ve strutted straight off the set of Horizon, the upcoming Kevin Costner movie. Lauren himself wore a colorful western shirt and well-loved jeans to take his bow, relishing his standing ovation.
City sophistication and red carpet drama are essential parts of his repertoire, as well. These were represented by a chunky cardigan and cocktail dress combo, the pinstripe jacket he threw over a silk charmeuse shirt and long skirt in gunmetal gray, and the beaded body-skimming gowns that closed the show with scintillations of diamond-bright light.