On a recent special night in New York City, a master of American style threw a party to celebrate four decades in fashion. And EVERYONE was there.

Spring 2005 is the season of white washed collections and relaxed femininity – both of which Ralph Lauren exercised beautifully in this homage to thirties society and the silver screen.
Infused with nostalgia, but always ultimately modern, this collection of sportswear and simple satin elegance was best described by the man himself as “romantic refinement”.

Ralph Lauren’s seductive vision of what life in America should look like has been so persuasive around the world for thirty years, as to build Mr. Lauren a billion dollar empire. This season, he reminds us of how he did it with a fall collection of luxurious and refined looks that reinforce his mandate of quintessentially American elegance.

Ralph Lauren's show for Spring/Summer 2004 was a tale of two collections.
The first half was aimed at an 'athletically chic' customer, while the second half was aimed at what he called the 'modern preppy', a customer who apparently likes her loafers high heeled, her pocket squares matching and her colours layered and loud.

Most people in the fashion industry know the broad strokes of Ralph Lauren’s life story - from his humble beginnings in the Bronx to his rise to the top of the fashion world. This season, the finer points of his story became public knowledge when not one, but two biographies of the designer hit the bookshelves. In this season’s Ralph Lauren segment, Fashion File features interviews with both authors as well as highlights from his collection for Fall 2003.

Ever Manhattan's great romantic, Ralph Lauren added dimension to the finely honed American Dream he presents each season, showing his spring collection in a series of intimate presentations in an elegantly appointed tent behind the Cooper-Hewitt Museum. In keeping with the rarified surroundings, the collection itself was soft, sweet, and seductive in its escapist take on dressing. Lauren deftly pulled from all the familiar territories but also boldly combined Victorian restraint with a street-wise - albeit softened - edge to create a thoroughly modern take on traditional notions of romance.