If a double-breasted jacket worn as a dress over a crisp button-down and necktie in Ralph Lauren’s new pre-fall collection looks familiar, that’s because Zendaya sported a similar piece by the designer from 1992 earlier this year on her Challengers press tour. The actress has made archive pieces a central part of her style signature, as many other often-photographed celebrities are doing these days. It’s become a sort of red carpet competition, with the winner being the star who can source and wear the deepest cuts. The trend is a boon for designers who’ve been in the game for decades. The pleat-front baggy trousers that appear a few times in these pictures also look like a callback to Lauren’s ’90s, though the leather bustier and jacket couldn’t be more now.
Of course, Lauren is a designer who believes in consistency, so the camel dress coat and tweedy gray pants blend right in with the rest of the new lineup, which is rooted in tailoring with Western and equestrian touches here and there like suede fringe and horsey novelty prints. A glossy racing-car-green trench, meanwhile, is a nod to his automobile collection. As ever, he brought a sense of aerodynamism to his eveningwear, including a slinky, cut-on-the-bias halter neck siren dress. His new bag, the Ralph, also takes cues from his cars, with the half-circle handle looking a lot like a steering wheel.
