The American dream has rarely looked so enticing. At New York Fashion Week, Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors unveiled collections filled with airy summer wardrobes and beach-inspired jewelry that gave a romantic, sunlit vision of the United States.
For Ralph Lauren, the spotlight arrived at just the right time. With Giorgio Armani’s passing, Lauren is now the world’s oldest working major fashion designer at 85. His brand is thriving, with shares up 35 percent in 2025 and annual sales rising 8 percent to $7.1 billion.
Lauren opened Fashion Week with a show inside his Madison Avenue design studio. Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King chatted with the designer’s family. Usher, in dark sunglasses, grinned from the front row. Champagne was served on silver trays under glittering chandeliers. Against the backdrop of recent political violence in America, Lauren’s polished take on the American dream stood out as more alluring than ever.
His runway featured silk parachute shirts unbuttoned over swimwear, tomato-red sun dresses, cricket sweaters with relaxed trousers, and stroppy evening gowns paired with flat sandals and seashell jewellery. The collection looked like the wardrobe of a glossy Netflix lifestyle drama set in a pristine East Coast beach house.
Lauren’s son David, who oversees brand strategy, summed it up: “We’re selling a romantic story about how people want to live.” Like Walt Disney, Lauren is more than a designer. He’s a storyteller selling the dream itself.
Part of the brand’s strength lies in balancing fantasy with accessibility. Taylor Swift’s $318 sun dress, worn for her engagement announcement, is a prime example. While European luxury houses have raised prices aggressively, Ralph Lauren has found success with attainable staples like Polo handbags and cable-knit sweaters stamped with the iconic horse-and-rider logo.
The company has also benefited from tennis’s growing global profile, having designed outfits for Wimbledon and the US Open for decades.
At the end of his show, Lauren took a bow alongside his wife Ricky. Applause came from the front row, where Anna Wintour sat next to Vogue’s new editorial chief, Chloe Malle.
Michael Kors brings ‘Moroccan Manhattan’
Michael Kors delivered a similarly relaxed summer mood. His show featured flowing poet tunics, fluid ankle-grazing trousers, featherlight draping, and oversized tuxedo jackets paired with floor-length skirts. Kors said he wanted to bring “a little Moroccan Manhattan” to the runway.
“People don’t know how to dress anymore because cities that used to be cold are now hot,” he said before the show. “We have a lot to learn from how people in warm climates dress.”
Rejecting the body-con silhouettes making a comeback this year, Kors focused on comfort and ease.
Both Kors and Lauren paid tribute to Giorgio Armani, whose funeral was held just days before Fashion Week began.
“Armani influenced my entire life,” Kors said. “I saved up to buy my first Armani jacket at 19. I wore it to work, I wore it dancing, I wore it everywhere.”
Lauren praised Armani as a designer who stayed true to his vision and lived with deep love for family, friends, and his country.
