Curating stylish vacation outfits is its own cottage industry in 2025. Influencers hawk curated packing lists by destination; entire brands rise and fall to offer entire wardrobes designated for a single trip (and the accompanying Instagram photoshoot). The underlying message is that your everyday wardrobe has no place in your carry-on bag. Dressing with ease? That’s reserved for weekends at home.
Ralph Lauren's Spring 2026 fashion show kicked off New York Fashion Week on September 10 with a different approach. Why not be who you already are when you log off, just in a slightly more relaxed font?
With the right styling, Ralph Lauren's runway demonstrates that the same wardrobe can work whether you're clocked in or out. Blazers can be worn on the beach; performance review pants can be paired with a T-shirt and shell necklaces. The Spring 2026 collection is a blueprint for bringing boardroom staples straight into downtime.
In show notes, the designer called his ethos "unfussy allure." All the signatures that have made Ralph Lauren a legend of American design over the past sixty years were still present—like sporting jackets, pleated trousers cut just so, and the occasional sundress—but they were filtered through a sun-drenched lens. White blazers were the common thread, often paired with crochet microshorts or a billowing maxi skirt and bra top instead of matching pants. Jackets across the red, white, and black lineup were left unbuttoned to show a flash of a bandeau top and a heap of silver jewelry. One model swapped this year's ever-present scarf belt trend with a striped tie looped around her waist—like she'd just left a presentation and loosened her collar.
There were a few moments that channeled classic spring style, too, like a red midi dress with a corseted bodice and an extra-large sunhat. I'm sure Taylor Swift, who wore Ralph Lauren in her engagement photos, will shop its bias-cut white silk dress for her bridal trousseau.
Much of the runway, set to a beach bar-style acoustic cover of "More Than a Woman," seemed to evoke a suitcase packed for a corporate seaside retreat. But its philosophy of de-powered suiting can easily translate to a proper office (and a more covered-up dress code). Several looks were styled with stacks of Juju Vera-like silver pendants and shell bracelets. The Ralph Bag, one of the label's signature totes, was summer-ified with wicker raffia and a bamboo handle, with proportions capable of holding a 15" laptop or a bundle of beach towels. All these touches are much more practical for daytime than the age-old advice of, say, styling a swimsuit as a bodysuit. Still, they all possess the same charm of paid time off.
In recent seasons, designers have been infatuated with interrogating the work wardrobe. More often than not, they've landed on self-serious gray pencil skirts and wide-leg black trousers paired with matching tops. It's a vibe Marie Claire editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike once called "sexy Severance." Clothes that follow cubicle dress codes exactly definitely have their place, of course. But in a Ralph Lauren wardrobe, there are such things as pieces that embody work-life balance.
