Ralph Lauren’s Extravagant 50th Anniversary Celebration in Central Park

“For my 50th anniversary, I wanted to create and share a runway experience that was deeply personal and a summation of the style I’ve always believed in: personal, authentic, and forever, in a place so quintessentially, New York and so special to me—Central Park,” said Lauren.

For the runway show, the women’s Spring/Summer 2019 collection was showcased alongside Double RL and all three of the Polo Ralph Lauren collections (a first for the house) in a magnificent presentation amid the stone archways and gilded ceilings of the Bethesda Terrace. Throughout the show we saw a deep color palette, rich fabrics like leather and velvet, traditional tailoring, and the recurrence of the Ralph Lauren Crest. The brand’s all-American roots could be felt, alongside polo’s stance as the original symbol of the modern preppy brand.

Each piece emitted a sense of romance and bohemian sophistication as models made their way down the grand staircase. We loved looks like a dark purple velvet dress paired with matching boots and a brown leather jacket, and a pair of slouchy army green trousers coupled with a printed turtleneck and leather boots.

A video installation displayed on 17 large LED screens, featured a digitally remastered history of runway shows from 1967, over 400 images and videos from the brand’s archives, as well as imagery from past campaigns. To view the installation, guests entered a T-shaped chamber in which the videos were reflected onto a mirrored box, creating an immersive visual display.

Finally, attendees joined together for dinner around the Bethesda Fountain, where eclectic table settings of floral china and pewter flatware made for a scene reminiscent of an outdoor Parisian café. After enjoying a classic American meal of filet mignon inspired by The Polo Bar, the extravagant evening came to an end.