Models walk the runway during the Ralph Lauren Spring 2026 Collection show on September 10, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
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Given the tenure leading his brand, 58 years and counting, designer Ralph Lauren is likely considering his legacy. He will be 86 next month and remains the Executive Chairman, as well as the face behind the designs. Unquestionably, the brand’s fiscal success is part of that legacy; full-year sales for 2025 announced earlier this year show a growth rate of 8 percent to $7.1 billion; a strong fourth quarter showing overshot sales estimates of 6 to 7 percent to 10 percent. Engaging younger audiences is a new AI tool for the Polo Ralph Lauren label was introduced just this week. Innovation has always been core to the brand, though at times the designs seemed to stay the course. For his Spring 2026 show, Lauren and his team managed to lose the bathwater but keep the baby. While not abandoning core design DNA—crisp, modern tailoring, languid sensuality, and oodles of good taste to wit—the brand delivered a collection that felt like a breath of fresh air.
Aiming to highlight different silhouettes, materials, and detailing, the color palette for the show was black and white with a pop of red. The freshness was evidenced in white linen with black pinstripes on a halter vest and barrel leg pants; bandeau tops under blazers, graphic black and white stripes in a zig-zag pattern on a flowing sundress, or as a charming louche fine gauge knit worn with high sheen black cargos and an oversized brimmed hat that was featured throughout. Pedal pushers addressed a resurging trend of 2025, and a red bow over a white poet tunic read European charm., Gowns with plunging armholes and open-to-the-fanny backs exuded the signature sensuality, while scarf tie motifs added a confident, insouciant attitude. Similarly, the mega-wide legs on fluid trousers and the patchwork on an overall style reflected the brand’s commitment to upcycling remnants, a hallmark of its approach. Bold, sculptural silver jewelry worn throughout added a touch of cool, especially on a cool California vibe black tent dress. Two stunners closed the show: a red handkerchief strapless gown and an asymmetrical white satin gown with a billowing train.
It was almost as if someone had shaken up the design room, tossing patterns and silhouettes, and then challenged the team to update and reimagine them. The soundtrack was a remixed and updated version of the Bee Gees’ “More Than a Woman,” sung by a sultry female singer. It was an apt analogy; something familiar yet also altogether different. As the show ended, Lauren appeared from backstage, waving to his fans which included Oprah Winfrey, Jessica Chastain and Naomi Watts.
Model on the runway at the Ralph Lauren show as part of Spring/Summer 2026 New York Fashion Week on September 10, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images)
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While Ralph Lauren has also stood for Americana, another brand known for American ideals with a European touch, Libertine showed its Spring 2026 collection in the lovely and newly saved from demolition Elizabeth Street Garden. Johnson Hartig, the brand’s CEO and Creative Director, whose whimsical graphics, collage-effect embellishments, and historical references are core to the brand ethos, also met the moment in today’s fraught political and cultural environment with his show.
To wit, the show opened with Revolutionary War costumed fife and drum musicians, setting the pace for the wildly festooned Tricorn hats that donned most of the lavish looks decorated in word and botanical prints, marabou feathers, and Shakespeare’s visages fashioned out of sequins.
“There’s a little bit of the French Revolution, the American Revolution. I wanted to do a peaceful revolution, a love revolution. Beauty is truth and truth is beauty. I think that now more than ever. Beauty is such a strong form of peaceful protest,” Hartig said.
Rounding out the day was the official CFDA New York Fashion Week kick-off cocktail at Rockefeller Center, hosted by Steven Kolb, Thom Browne, and Anna Sui. As Kolb welcomed the guests, he addressed the crowd, saying. “Fashion is about connecting people, inspiration, culture, and business with creativity first. Fashion week is a representation of all of that.”