Fashion Week: Ralph Lauren's New Accent

Last night was the gala 40th anniversary show and party in the Conservatory Garden of Central Park. No one has ever been allowed to throw a function in the park before, but Ralph was able to work his way in thanks to a sizeable donation to a park charity and his friendship with Mayor Bloomberg, who was on hand to toast him at the dinner.

The show was not your usual Ralph show. Well, it was 50 percent your usual Ralph show with elegant evening dresses--an area where he seems to get stronger and stronger--and his 'live in the rich world' day wear -- jodhpurs, tight leather riding jackets for sporting types, day dresses and wide-legged suits for spectator types. Most everything was topped with a hat of some type.

But there were also many, many elements that were not so typical Ralph. A neon yellow satin trench coat, a yellow and black patent leather bag, yellow and black patent riding boots, bright taffeta jackets were just a few of the colorful surprises that came down the aisle.

After the show, the back wall of the runway slid open to reveal the dinner venue. Chandeliers had been hung on scaffolding, candles flickered on the long table behind the spray of the famous fountain. At dinner (famous people roll call: Robert DeNiro, Diane Von Frustenberg, Donna Karan, Bobby Kennedy, Jr, Sarah Jessica Parker, Martha Stewart, Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, Carolina Herrera, Vera Wang, Mayor Bloomberg) his lovely UK publicist, Sadie, explained that unlike, say, Valentino, Ralph wanted to show that although it was an anniversary, he was still very much in the game. The show was about the future of Ralph more than its past, hence his exit song Frank Sanatra's, "The Best Is Yet To Come."

Much of Ralph's best these days should be coming from Europe, where he's rapidly expanding. He recently announced that a new VP of European PR, Jenna Barnet, will be based in London. He opened his two Moscow stores this year and his Russian partner, Alla Verber of the Mercury Group, was at the party twinkling in diamonds that seem to get bigger and bigger each time I see her. And important UK retailers like Averyl Oates, the fashion director of Harvey Nichols, were given front-row seats. Europe, meet Ralph.