Ralph Lauren Fall 2026 at Jack Shainman Gallery Redefines Personal Style

Ralph Lauren, at 86, staged a women’s Fall 2026 ready-to-wear runway at Jack Shainman Gallery in downtown Manhattan that cast personal style as a voyage rather than a trend. The collection, presented on February 10, 2026, unfolded as a study in heritage reinterpreted and a self-styled “renegade spirit,” language the show notes used to describe “the confidence of the woman who will wear it in her own personal way.” Gigi Hadid both opened and closed the show, beginning in a turtleneck layered under a tweed corset coordinate with a silver chain belt and ending in a sweeping velvet gown.

The New York presentation joined a busy run for Lauren this season: his house returned to the Milan men’s calendar with its first runway in two decades, he outfitted Team USA for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, and show material cited a recent CFDA womenswear designer of the year award collected in November. Those markers framed Fall 2026 as part of a concerted moment for the brand rather than a standalone pivot, positioning the collection amid international runway visibility and institutional recognition.

Materiality was central. Vogue show notes touted “more than 50 custom materials, most with a tactile, touchable hand,” and the runway delivered on that claim with tweed, silk velvet, flocked velvet, brocade, chainmail, glass-bead fringing, sequins, hand-distressed leather, cracked metallic foil and shearling. Technical flourishes included a reversible jacket that flipped from shearling pile to metallic foil, a leopard-print shearling shaped by a hidden crinoline, and gowns treated with a double-dyeing technique layering brown and dark blue for subtle luminescence.

Design moves mixed casual with formal to underscore the collection’s thesis. A scarf-print dress was toughened by a herringbone jacket; a beaded going-out top was worn beneath an oversize duster; a green velvet minidress was cinched by a brown leather belt; and a plunge-front silk velvet evening dress finished with delicate chain straps was presented as complete without additional jewelry. Styling leaned toward equestrian lines and practical grounding: belts cinched tailored suits and chainmail evening wear, shawls as large as throws were pinned with vintage brooches, and riding boots appeared to anchor looks on the runway.

Front row faces reinforced the collection’s mythos. Anne Hathaway arrived with husband Adam Shulman and stylist Erin Walsh, reportedly wearing cowboy boots; Lana Del Rey occupied a seat whose presence critics linked to the show’s open-road, American West sensibility. Ariana DeBose and Rebecca Hall were also among the guests noted in the audience, underscoring a celebrity turnout that matched the collection’s cinematic register.

Critical reaction framed the season as sharpening rather than reinventing Ralph Lauren. A brand press release described the collection as celebrating “a woman who is fearless in her pursuit of adventure, who honors heritage while embracing reinvention and explores what lies ahead by staying true to who she is.” One prevailing line in coverage captured the mood: “In Lauren’s world, personal style is less about spectacle than momentum. Wherever your journey begins, the imperative is the same: Keep moving.” Another refrain on the floor might be summarized as, “Minimalism? Never knew her. Welcome to an era when more is definitely more.”