In the heart of Manhattan, under the soft glow of gallery lights at Jack Shainman, Ralph Lauren unveiled his Fall/Winter 2025 Women’s Wear Collection — and let’s just say, the room audibly exhaled. Titled The Modern Romantics, this collection wasn’t just a fashion show, it was an emotionally intelligent love letter to elegance — modernized, deconstructed, and retold for a new generation of women who want their softness to speak volumes and their tailoring to whisper power.
Let’s backtrack a little. Ralph Lauren is a name that basically invented modern American luxury. Born Ralph Lifshitz, to Jewish immigrant parents, the American fashion designer started his fashion business in 1967 with selling men’s tie, drawing inspiration from the necktie company he had previously worked at, after being discharged from the army. At a young age of 16, in order to avert bullying, Ralph alongside his brother George changed their last name from Lifshitz to Lauren, joining their elder brother Jerry, who had changed his earlier, due to the bullying experiences he faced while being in the army.
Despite being a college drop-out, Ralph carved out a niche for himself in the fast paced fashion industry, making pieces with high quality fabrics, shaping the men’s fashion world with classic, well-tailored blazers, crewnecks, leather jackets and the likes.
His first line of men’s wear was named ‘Polo’, inspired by his love for the sport. In 1967 however, Ralph launched a women’s wear collection, born from a desire to make similar outfits for his wife. This collection also saw the launch of the famous Polo logo.
In an interview, Ralph explains why the set design for this year’s women’s wear fall/winter collection launch is different. He said, “There’s a certain moodiness to this collection, and I thought it would be nice to show the collection during the day with good light, to convey the juxtapositions you see in this collection”. He went further to talk about the inspiration behind the collection, describing the mannerism and characteristics of a ‘Ralph woman’, “She’s a confident woman who dresses for herself and her mood. She isn’t bound by any rules when it comes to dressing. The Ralph Lauren woman doesn’t fit into just one box, she is multifaceted. She’s whimsical and dresses based on how she feels and where she’s going”.
But this wasn’t about leaning on nostalgia — this was Ralph reinviting himself, yet again, for an audience who wears vintage Levi’s with kitten heels, who might layer their dad’s blazer over a sheer slip dress and call it girl math. We see you.
The fall/winter 2025 show opened with precision: a palette grounded in earth tones, jewel hues, and muted pastels. There were crisp pinstripes, creamy leathers, lace-trimmed gowns that looked like they walked out of a 19th-century portrait but with cowboy boots — and yes, it all somehow worked. It felt cinematic. And not in the TikTok “get ready with me to go to Ralph Lauren” kind of way (although, let’s be honest, we still watched all 137 of those), but in the sense of an old-world story being retold with Gen Z cheekbones, glossed lips, and AI assistants checking the lighting.
The tailoring was, as expected, impeccable — structured blazers in camel and navy layered over feminine slips, suiting that felt more like armor for soft power than corporate drag. Then came the knits — oversized and cozy, often styled with silk skirts or distressed leather pants. There was an intentional blur between the rugged and the romantic. A kind of harmony between being beautifully undone and perfectly styled. If duality was a fabric, Ralph stitched it.
Fall/winter 2025 front row? Whew, it was stacked — and served as a masterclass in how to wear Ralph’s world in your own voice. This year’s fall/winter collection saw a star studded line up of Hollywood A-Listers and fashion’s best talents. Sitting in front row were the likes of Ariana DeBose, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Catherine Hook, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Eiza Gonzalez, Michelle Williams, Andra Day, Kasey Musgraves, Sadie Sink, Ryan Destiny, Chase Sui Wonders, and Naomi Watts.
Anne Hathaway absolutely stole the camera’s soul in a khaki trench paired with distressed sequin trousers from Ralph Lauren’s Spring 2025 collection. It was giving “CEO on a bender but make it haute,” especially with that high ponytail sculpted to perfection by Orlando Pita.
Michelle Williams was the minimalist moodboard in human form — grey ankle-length trench over a matching gown, with a black bag, heels, and the kind of platinum bob that makes you want to book a hair appointment mid-show.
Kacey Musgraves, our prairie-pop queen, came through with Western meets urban: white tank, grey trousers, cowboy boots, and a hat that whispered, “I could rope a calf or run this boardroom.”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus brought caramel leather goddess energy in a blazer-pant combo that said she owns stocks and your heart for fall/winter 2025. And Naomi Watts’s razor-sharp bob was giving “crisp martini” — as in sharp, classy, and a little dangerous if taken too fast.
Then came Ariana DeBose in a pinstriped two-piece with a white shirt and tie, proving once and for all that the girls, gays, and theys are reclaiming menswear.
Sadie Sink looked like the cool prof you’d definitely develop a crush on: waistcoat, pleated skirt, structured blazer, and that knowing smirk.
Sarah Catherine Hook gave blazer-dress realness with the precision of an editorial shoot and the softness of your favorite vintage find.
Meanwhile, Eiza González served navy tailored brilliance with powder blue underpinnings — every inch of it exuded control and calm.
Nara Smith turned heads in a white pleated gown with delicate lace details, pulled together with a rugged cowboy belt that redefined soft-meets-strong.
And Georgia Fowler was a walking Pinterest board in a white shirt, tan frilled skirt, and all the clean-girl aura your For You page dreams about.
But what made this collection feel especially now — and even more next — was the unapologetic femininity. Ralph Lauren is imagining the woman who dresses for herself, who wakes up and asks, “What do I feel like today?” instead of “What do I want to say to the world?” And maybe those things can be the same.
There’s a freedom in that — and a quiet power. The collection wasn’t screaming to be noticed; it was inviting you in. The fabrics did the talking — silk and lace holding conversations with wool and leather. The shapes moved with ease but carried weight. Each look told a story that felt like poetry — confident, layered, and utterly authentic.
And yes, sustainability mattered here. Ralph Lauren has increasingly woven ethical production into its DNA, and this collection highlighted that with thoughtful choices in material and construction. There’s an intentionality in his work — every stitch is a decision, and every decision is a statement. Less trend-chasing, more legacy-making.
There were nods to archival Ralph — equestrian touches, classic Polo tailoring — but always with a twist. The collection doesn’t lean on nostalgia; it evolves it. It’s the kind of fashion that understands who you were, who you are, and who you want to become — and dresses you for all three at once.
As the final model walked — a gauzy silver gown gliding like smoke — the lights dimmed and the applause swelled. Ralph emerged in his signature denim and charm, nodding with the humility of a man who has done this for decades and still loves it like it’s the first time.
We often talk about fashion weeks in buzzwords and hashtags, but this show didn’t need either. It didn’t trend — it resonated. It reminded us that there’s still space for elegance in a world rushing toward casual chaos. That romance isn’t dead — it’s just dressing smarter.
And honestly, if there’s one takeaway from Ralph Lauren’s Fall/Winter 2025 show, it’s this: You can be soft and still be strong. You can wear a trench coat and sequins. You can cry at poetry and command a boardroom. You can exist in contradictions — and look damn good doing it.
