Ralph Lauren Gets Slouchy in Return to Milan With Purple Label, Polo Collections

After a more than 20-year absence, Ralph Lauren is returning to the runway in Milan. And this time, the designer will bring both his Polo and Purple Label fall men’s collections to the catwalk at the same time.

For the past several years, the company has shown Purple Label, its quintessentially luxurious offering, in a presentation format during Milan Men’s Fashion Week. It was back in 2004 that Polo was last shown there.

Although the two brands have different aesthetics and audiences, they nonetheless work together seamlessly to showcase the world of Ralph Lauren through one cohesive story.

“I have always believed that clothes should feel as good as they look,” the designer said. “This season, Purple Label is defined by an effortless refinement in the tailoring, while Polo reinterprets the spirit of American workwear with an easy, modern attitude.”

“Ralph Lauren approaches designing his collections like a film director,” added his son, David Lauren, chief branding and innovation officer of Ralph Lauren. “As he works with the clothes, he builds out the characters and the set, envisioning how he wants the story to be brought to life. It’s exciting to see Purple Label and Polo presented together — a powerful statement that speaks to the depth of the brand and the essence of who the Ralph Lauren man is.”

This season, the show will offer “a bit of a look back at the power of our menswear in totality,” said John Wrazej, senior brand creative director of men’s Polo, RLX, Purple Label and children’s Polo. “We thought it would be an amazing opportunity to bring both Polo and Purple Label together again to really show the power and the breadth of our foundational menswear business across the board.”

In Polo, Wrazej said the company focused on three categories: American workwear, heritage and relaxed tailoring. Think denim, tweeds, Shetlands and corduroys, but in silhouettes that have been reimagined to appeal to a modern customer.

“Ralph clearly has identified and recognizes that a younger community is actually responding organically to the very foundation of who we are,” Wrazej said.

Case in point: Polo is introducing a new tailored silhouette, the Hayworth, featuring a relaxed shoulder, soft construction, a slouchy fit and high-waisted trousers. The model references the popular vintage shopping trend where young men are searching out suits their grandfathers would wear, in classic menswear fabrics such as glen plaids, flannels and chalkstripes, but modernizing them through a fuller fit.

This same slouchy fit is also evident in sweaters, outerwear and jeans under the Polo umbrella.

Wrazej said many of the pieces have their origins in vintage Polo country styles such as a duck hunting jacket created from an old Americana patchwork quilt and a red flannel jacket that was based on a collection from the 1980s but reimagined in a heavier fabric and oversize fit.

“That’s what the young people are wearing today,” he said. “Ralph [knows] that you will not cultivate a young consumer if you don’t understand the specific nuances of what they’re responding to.”

Accessories play a key role in the Polo collection, with hand-tooled Western belts, leather bags and other accoutrements turning up in a variety of places throughout the line.

In the Purple Label collection, the company worked to ensure it protected its core handmade tailored pieces while also extending its reach into a more casual, sports-infused offering.

“Not everything is haberdashery,” Wrazej said. “As much as some gentlemen are still enjoying and embracing a beautiful, tailored slim bespoke suit, there are moments where that same individual would like to have a more casual approach.”

But even when dressed down, the fabrics continue to be luxurious, as evidenced by the double-face cashmere sweatpants or seven-gauge cashmere turtleneck that blend easily with a topcoat in the same fabric that takes 12 hours of hand-tailoring to complete. “This simplicity is what so many men are responding to,” he said.

In suits, Purple Label’s classic Kent silhouette is offered in worsted cashmere — “Ralph’s dream fabric,” Wrazej said — or glen plaids, but the models are completely unconstructed. “Ralph recognizes that classic fabrics are inherently heavier in weight so just not quite as relevant. These have the most luxurious hand but are more lightweight.”

Not surprisingly, Purple Label still offers sartorial suits such as double-breasted cashmeres paired with a silver grenadine tie and velvet slippers. “Ralph always talks about wanting to make sure that the most sophisticated men can come into our stores and find unique things that are not what they would see at other stores,” he said.

Sport references are also evident in the collection, but in a distinct Purple Label way. “It’s much more of après-ski with some performance and technical ski products,” Wrazej said, pointing to the cashmere-wool blend ski jacket with its waterproof membrane paired with ski cargo pants. “They have all the performance attributes that you’d find in state-of-the-art garments but in more heritage fabrications.”

There’s also an alpine puffer in 100 percent pure goose down in a three-quarter length that was based on a signature Ralph Lauren look from the 1990s as well as pleated Burma corduroy pants paired with Italian hiking boots.

And then there’s the “playful” side of Purple Label, Wrazej said, pointing to a jumpsuit and a satin flight jacket that the team put over a pleated formal suit to give it “that James Bond sensibility, but sort of edgy.”