He sent down the runway a spring/summer 2016 collection that married a French maritime look with East Coast society resort the Hamptons, with a slice of inter-war screen siren glamour thrown in for evening.
Flame-haired screen sirens Julianne Moore and Jessica Chastain were guests of honor Thursday at Ralph Lauren’s French Riviera meets Hamptons runway collection as New York fashion week came to a grand finale.
The Oscar-winning Moore and critically-acclaimed Chastain were mobbed by photographers as they chatted and posed for pictures in the front row, Moore in a cream dress and Chastain a one-shoulder navy jumpsuit, both looking as if they had stepped straight out of a Ralph Lauren commercial.
Sitting to their left was Alec Baldwin, an actor who has attracted as many column inches recently for altercations with the paparazzi as his movies, accompanied by his young, yoga instructor wife Hilaria.
For one of the more intimate and refined shows at fashion week, the designer’s youngest son David sat next to Oscar-winner Moore with his pregnant wife Lauren Bush, a niece of former president George W. Bush.
Ralph Lauren, who would have awoken to headlines that Britain’s Duchess of Cambridge wore one of his dresses to mark her return to official duties from maternity leave, is one of New York’s most loved designers.
He sent down the runway a spring/summer 2016 collection that married a French maritime look with East Coast society resort the Hamptons, with a slice of inter-war screen siren glamour thrown in for evening.
“My Women’s Collection for Spring 2016 is a modern expression of the glamorous spirit of the French Riviera,” Lauren said on Twitter.
“It has a romantic rusticity, as well as a sleek and luxurious sportiness that represents to me both the cool insouciance and understated style of the women who inspire me.”
A master in crafting a long, lean silhouette that accentuates the height and slender figures of his models, it was a collection of restrained elegance that paired navy with white, and deployed tan leather.
For day, it was a maritime look of white linen shantung pants, navy viscose dress with cut-out shoulders, navy jackets, sweaters with Breton-style buttons on the shoulder and white silk organza skirts.
Otherwise, there was a white cotton dress with lace-up front worn with a tan belt and prominent use of saddle leather — fashioned into jackets, blouses, cropped pants, shorts and a skirt.
So timeless is the Lauren style that he even managed to make a jumpsuit look elegant, adorned with billowing panels for evening or one in navy liquid lame that looked like the Mediterranean glimmering in the sun.
Paired with the plain separates was a colorful “bateau” print — inspired by multi-colored sailing ships — made into a shirt, a canvas tote, a sateen trench coat and a strapless organza evening dress.
Evening dresses were strapless with billowing skirts, an asymmetric cut in red silk with cut-out panels and a navy halter gown with pleated skirt.
Lauren gave another nod to on-season pleats in a red viscose dress, and to bang-on-trend ruffles, on a silk georgette beaded dress and a champ de fleur linen gown.
The designer came out to rapturous applause at the end, kissed his children and guests of honor, who rose to their feet to greet him, before walking the runway to Frank Sinatra’s classic track “I Love Paris.”
Power design houses Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs will present their collections later Thursday before the spring/summer 2016 season jets across the Atlantic to Europe.