Ralph Lauren Spring 2012 Fashion Show

Ralph is in a decidedly soft (and light) mood these days, and almost his entire collection was rendered in what one would call traditional spring colors (easter egg, jordan almond shades). There was robin’s egg blue, citron, celery, daffodil, celadon, blush (which was really pink), ivory, white, and coral. There was no navy, no black, and the darkest color used was probably olive drab. Fabrics included georgette, crepe de chine, hammered satin, tulle, silk chiffon, and beaded chiffon, and bouquet florals showed up as accents (mainly accessories: scarves and bags). As usual, there were a variety of lengths, proportions, and silhouettes. Ralph’s aesthetic is always about the play of boy meets girl, soft and hard, day and evening, and while the overall mood was romantic and feminine, that flip side of the coin (the expert tailoring, the menswear influences, etc.) are always in place.

At one point during the show, right after the group of pastel hued georgette dresses, the feathers really began to fly, (literally), as ostrich feather capes, boleros, jackets, (in the pastel shades shown throughout) were thrown over everything from chiffon and beaded dresses to wide legged trousers and lame tops.

there were lancategory_id gowns of intricate beaded ivory georgette, tulle, chiffon, and panne velvet and a silver grey organza beaded bustier and ivory jersey long skirt looked especially good. But for dramatic simplicity, nothing can beat the graceful ivory jersey gown (which would make a beautiful wedding gown by the way).

Asian models in the show: Sui He (New York)