If we were in Nantucket for spring, Ralph Lauren took us to New Mexico for pre-fall. It’s a change of scenery that’s entirely welcome, there was a satisfying richness to the mineral hues and textures of this collection. At a preview appointment at company headquarters we learned it took 60 hours of hand-cutting to achieve the variegated fringe on a leather skirt and nearly as many to machine crochet an openwork fitted suede jacket with a burnished finish. Consider also the Fortuny-like pleating on a sleeveless bronze dress and the glossy finish on a body-skimming ribbed knit top and matching skirt. Other materials were sand-washed to create a soft, lived-in hand feel; to the touch the silks felt almost sueded.
As earthy as many of the pieces were, Lauren didn’t give short shrift to the tailoring foundations of his brand, which is nearing a landmark 60th anniversary. The best look in this category was a double-breasted tweed jacket based on the designer’s own personal model, worn with full-legged cotton chinos gathered at the ankles and finished with a rugged belt. Technical details added to the appeal of the outerwear. Light membranes in the linings of a balmacaan in a traditional wool weave and a zip-front jacket in ultrafine silk rendered them entirely water repellant; the rain will bead right off. A terrific array of sculptural sterling silver cuffs and earrings, some pieces finished with raw crystals, rounded out the compelling offering.