Polo Ralph Lauren showcased its fall 2026 ready-to-wear collection in a hybrid presentation format at a Marais gallery space in Paris. The event drew inspiration from Ralph Lauren's 1970s New York era and featured layered, Western-influenced looks for men and women. Senior brand creative director Karen Brown Brody highlighted the collection's emphasis on personal style and heritage-modernity blends.
The presentation took place on Thursday in a contemporary open gallery in Paris's Marais district, following Ralph Lauren's New York Fashion Week show. Models walked in one look at a time before lingering as a group on an un-sanded floorboard runway, allowing the standing audience to view the collection closely. This unconventional format combined elements of a runway show and a static presentation, with three choreographed viewings emphasizing movement.
Inspired by Ralph Lauren's 1970s experiences in New York City and his early womenswear collections, the lineup reflected a mix of heritage and modernity. Karen Brown Brody, senior brand creative director for women’s Polo, noted during a preview: “This was very much inspired by Ralph himself in the 1970s in New York City, and also by some of his very early womenswear collections.” She added that the collection focuses on individual expression: “I think what really sets women’s Polo apart... is it’s all about her vibe, and it’s about how she’s putting things together.”
Key pieces included a brown-to-black shawl collared top coat with matching pants, worn with brown leather boot-toed monk strap shoes and a check shirt reminiscent of one Lauren bought from K-Mart. Other highlights featured a plaid flannel shirt paired with a chocolate tuxedo coat, navy knit rugby shirts, cropped patch pocket denim jackets, and A-line dresses with Henley collars and bullion-inspired embroideries on black and cream jeans.
Outerwear ranged from slim 1970s tailored toggle coats and rustic distressed leather jackets to a striking sheepskin suede fringe jacket, created in collaboration with Oceti Sakowin designers Jocy and Trae Little Sky through the Polo Ralph Lauren x Tópa Artist in Residence Program. Accessories emphasized Western influences, such as wide buckled belts, Western-detailed boots, colorful leather gloves, and silk scarves wrapped like cummerbunds.
The collection introduced the Polo Blaze handbag family, inspired by an 1980s Ralph Lauren design and named after white markings on horses' faces. Brown Brody described it: “You’ll see the lines of the stitching are very reminiscent of a saddle, but the leathers are a bit more downtown city... It’s this hybrid, which is actually a lot of what the collection is.” The overall aesthetic promoted a meritocratic mix of high and low elements, encouraging wearers to experiment with personal styling.
