BRIDGEHAMPTON, NEW YORK — BRIDGEHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Ralph Lauren headed to the horse country of the Hamptons for a rollout of its signature Americana with first lady Jill Biden, Usher and Colman Domingo in the front row and Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and a host of adorable children on its runway.
Horses and riders strolled through a nearby field behind a white fence at a posh equestrian resort in Bridgehampton on Thursday evening as Lauren showed off crisp white tennis outfits, baby blue dresses and jackets, and bright orange, green and yellow looks for men, women and the aforementioned toddlers.
The sun faded as the outdoor show came to a close and Lauren’s guests headed to dinner at a pop-up restaurant on site at her iconic Polo Bar.
Lauren, who greets Biden at his side, has fond memories of the Hamptons, where he owns a home and frequented as a child. For his spring 2025 show, a day before New York Fashion Week officially begins, he chose Khalily Stables, a 19-acre state-of-the-art equestrian complex with stalls, barns, riding arenas and grassy paddocks.
Lauren mixed her Ralph Lauren, Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren and children’s collections for an extra-long show that emphasized wearability on a perfect night out as summer turns to fall.
There were picnic outfits with pale blue dresses, white trousers and shorts paired with stripes and jackets. There were evening outfits, including a stunning powder pink beaded maxi skirt worn by Campbell with a knotted white T-shirt.
For men, Lauren offered cuffed skinny pants, blue floral tuxedo jackets and pops of contrasting color in orange pants paired with navy nautical jackets and wide multi-colored ties over pinstriped shirts.
Whites and blues dominated, with a touch of crochet and khaki. He added a little sparkle in form-fitting sequined evening gowns, backless white cocktail dresses and blue blouses, adding a bit of his fairy dust to a pair of ripped khaki pants and other looks.
Lauren’s kids, from preschoolers to tweens and teens, were up for anything.
Some wore white shorts and the green raincoats worthy of the U.S. Open that the company had just sponsored for the ball-receiving crews and on-court officials. Others wore high boots with blue polo shirts and matching slacks. Still others were tiny prepsters in striped shirts, navy jackets and short white pants.
The show, Usher said afterwards, was “American life. That’s American love. That’s family.”
Tom Hiddleston, another of Lauren’s guests, agreed. “It’s an extremely accurate and intelligent vision, because you’re like, ‘I’d like to be a part of that, I’d like to experience that,’” he said. “It’s very inspiring.”
Domingo added: “You literally saw people of all different colors, shapes and sizes, and people who felt like they belonged and belonged together.”
Jude Law, also a guest, summed it up as: “The aspiration for a better world.”
Naomi Watts, Kasey Musgraves, Demi Singleton and Justin Theroux were also among Lauren’s guests, as was Kim Min-jeong, known as Winter, from K-pop group Aespa.
In her presentation notes, Lauren said the Hamptons is “more than a place. It’s a natural world of endless blue skies, ocean, green fields and white picket fences, rustic and elegant with a quality of light that drew artists here decades ago.”
He called the summer haven for New Yorkers like himself “a home away from home,” “my refuge and always a source of inspiration.” Perhaps Lauren has better luck with the travel gods who keep a watchful eye on New York traffic. Some of her out-of-town guests who don’t have access to chartered helicopters have spent four hours battling traffic to get to her show.
The company has had a successful year. In addition to the US Open, Lauren dressed the American team for the Paris Games.
___
Associated Press video producer Brooke Lefferts contributed to this report.
