Fifty-six after launching his very first collection (of ties, under the name Polo), Ralph Lauren is still very much in the saddle. The designer begins every episode of this collection by considering fabrics, just as you would when commissioning a suit, but on a much greater scale. He lays down swatches in order to develop an overview of the textures, weight and shades of suiting, outerwear and sports coats. Then comes the knitwear, shirting, ties, informal pants, shoes and other composite elements of a Lauren menswear look. Once this overview is established, the outfits are built.
For this collection Lauren stepped away from the tonal jewel-color suiting we’ve seen recently—it’s now pretty current again elsewhere, too—and went back to the ranch. Tweeds and wools in checks inspired by horse blankets were amongst the designer’s starting points. More euro-equestrian houndstooths, glen plaids and country corduroy were mixed in as well. There was a fringed suede jacket worn above a black polo-neck knit, black denim and a classic western belt in rough-cut greasy brown leather: brown on black is a received no-no, but such is the subtle might of the Lauren machine’s styling vision that it looked like an inspiration rather than an aberration.
Equestrianism framed the mood but did not define the whole. A series of impeccable chairman-level executive suits were more appropriate for riding the ups and downs of the stock market. There was a marvelous green velvet rendering of a 1940s paratrooper smock, complete with authentic diagonally-flapped map pockets: it was reimagined as an informal hybrid between evening and smoking jacket. More eveningwear came cut in black watch tartan, fastened with gold buttons: the ceremonial weightiness of this was leavened by the Yankees baseball cap styled alongside it that was part of a new collaboration. This was another faultless innings from US fashion’s biggest and longest hitter.
