# Ralph Lauren still writes the American look > New York Fashion Week spent a whole season arguing about American style, and one designer kept winning the argument. - Title: Ralph Lauren still writes the American look · Vanity Fair - Summary: New York Fashion Week spent a whole season arguing about American style, and one designer kept winning the argument. American style keeps getting reclaimed… - Keywords: fashion, american style, new york fashion week, ralph lauren, sportswear, Ralph, Lauren, still, writes, American, look, Vanity Fair - Source: Vanity Fair — https://vanityfair.com/story/new-york-fashion-week-sportswear-ralph-lauren - Author: Vanity Fair - Published: 2026-09-12T17:00:00+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: fashion, american style, new york fashion week, ralph lauren, sportswear ## Ralph is having a moment Lauren published a Catwalk monograph ahead of his brand's 60th anniversary, landing right as influencers started copying his high-low mixes. ## The look people are copying A bright rain coat over a double-breasted suit. A tuxedo jacket and cummerbund with blue jeans. That collision is the Ralph signature being passed around online. ## Sabrina Carpenter set the tone She wore a spring-summer 2003 Lauren look last December, and the Pinterest and X crowd ran with it. ## Spring 2027 opened the week Lauren's show kicked off New York Fashion Week, and Carpenter's patchwork mermaid gown of denim, white lace, corsetry and gold looked like it sat at the center of his mood board. ## A greatest hits monologue Viola Davis and Cynthia Erivo watched from the front row while the runway replayed Lauren's best ideas rather than introducing new ones. > Spring 2027 is an irreverent take on romance that creates a new elegance ## Optimism with bad timing Blonde middle parts, Sting on the speakers, romance in the air. It landed on the eve of 9/11's 25th anniversary and after a flat semiquincentennial July. ## Beautiful, but self-referential Indigo lame, cotton lace corsets, low-slung jeans, feathered denim workwear. Less preppy than prim, and more a celebration of Lauren than of individuality. ## Europe took the blueprint American sportswear and pragmatism have been trending at Celine and Dior, which pushed the next generation of New York designers to reclaim it. ## J. Press claims the real thing Jack Carlson iterated on prep with Ralph-ish men's styling. An orange parka over a black suit felt instinctual; other looks felt styled for TikTok. > Men may come and men may go, but I go on forever ## Kors and Burch go off-kilter Both reexamined American sportswear. Burch beaded granny sweaters in pop colors and turned boat shoes into pointy heels, fun but with the edge buffed out. ## The Steinem tee that stayed backstage Burch put Gloria Steinem shirts on models for rehearsal only. Under those a-line coats on the runway, it would have said more than the kookiness did. ## Calvin Klein narrows its aim Veronica Leoni is still split between conceptual and austere minimalism, with Rosalia and Tate McRae arriving in looks that read as two brands. Her fix: focus on the essential. ## Eckhaus Latta gets it right Doubled t-shirts cut to expose biceps, wispy dresses, wide low-slung jeans. They dress young New York by revealing just enough and keeping the rest a mystery. > Why should one have to choose? ## Coach ends on melancholy Vevers marked 85 years with a disco ball and shrimp towers, yet the clothes felt like the party was over. Lauren is still the one selling American optimism. ## Key takeaway American style keeps getting reclaimed by younger labels, but Ralph Lauren's optimism is still the template everyone edits.