Ralph Lauren FW 2025
Ralph Lauren Fall/Winter 2025: A Return to Form in a Temple of Romance
For Fall/Winter 2025, Ralph Lauren didn’t just show a collection—he staged a memory, refracted through elegance and conviction. Held in the Beaux Arts splendor of the new Jack Shainman Gallery in Tribeca—formerly the New York Life Insurance building—the setting was as theatrical and nuanced as the clothes themselves. With its 29-foot-high coffered ceilings and hushed grandeur, the space served as a cathedral of Lauren’s perennial themes: romanticism, American classicism, and the tension between softness and strength.
Lauren titled the collection Modern Romantics, but the title belies how deeply rooted these clothes are in his legacy. This wasn’t reinvention—it was a revival. But not a sentimental one. Rather, Lauren made a compelling case by quoting himself, drawing from the silhouettes, textiles, and flourishes that dominated his work in the 1980s and ’90s—and in doing so, reminded us of their timelessness.
The star of the show, quite literally, was the jabot: a dandy’s flourish rendered here in crisp white shirts, often anchored with a jeweled brooch and spilling out from underneath black crewneck sweaters, velvet coats, or sharply tailored riding jackets. One black lace jabot adorned an ivory panné velvet halter gown—dramatic, yes, but exquisitely composed, with an open back that added a touch of sensual contrast. This was the Lauren woman at her most assured: romantic but not fragile, with glamour grounded in precision.
Tensions were the core of this collection, not just masculine and feminine, but also rugged and refined. Riding boots met pleated trousers, crisp Victorian blouses met sweeping evening coats. In the hands of a lesser designer, these contrasts could feel costumey. In Lauren’s, they became harmonious. His grasp of proportion—those sweeping maxi skirts belted beneath tailored jackets, or full-legged trousers tucked into stacked-heel boots—was particularly persuasive.
There was no hard chase of trends here, but there were clear updates. Lauren softened the silhouettes, added a little more slouch, and trimmed away some of the more rigid opulence for a subtler glam. Sequined knits replaced overt beading, and one standout look—a beaded floral sweater paired with black trousers—was a direct nod to the ’80s. Eveningwear was quietly bohemian: tiered ruffle gowns, lace-inset shirtdresses, and pleated chiffon skirts worn with cinched jackets.
And the women who filled the front row understood this language. Anne Hathaway, Naomi Watts, and Michelle Williams drew the sidewalk crowd outside, while inside, Kacey Musgraves turned heads in a ten-gallon hat and tank top—a playful nod to Lauren’s American West roots. The crowd, the clothes, and the setting all spoke in unison: this was not just a fashion show, it was a reaffirmation.
At a moment when many designers are trying to predict or chase the future, Ralph Lauren looks squarely at the past—not to dwell in it, but to elevate it. In Modern Romantics, he doesn’t ask to be remembered. He simply reminds us why we never forget.
