show & tell

East Meets Ralph Lauren

Overt Chinese influences on the runway will not stop at Louis Vuitton’s spring 2011 collection. (Of course, there was a Chanel pre-fall show before that.) Models in Ralph Lauren’s fall 2011 show this morning wore dangling jade earrings with shoulder-skimming tassels, complementing a color palette of mostly black, red, and green. There was a smattering of cheongsam-inflected silhouettes, at least one mandarin collar, and a few pieces embroidered with dragons — one of them worn, strikingly, by an Asian model. The soundtrack included a cover of “China Girl,” and the whole thing ended with a pretty wonderful black column dress with a glittery silver hood. Front-row highlights included André Leon Talley, who looked a little giddy when Lauren came out to take his full walk down the runway (a rarity — most designers pop out for a second or two and then return to hiding), and W’s Alex White, whose arm was in a fashionable leopard sling. Maybe all the leopard print the fashion people are wearing to shows this season will be replaced by East Asian floral prints or embroidered dragons the next.

Photo: Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images


East Meets Ralph Lauren