Ralph Lauren loves cars as much as he loves fashion, hosting a fall 2017 show at his private garage featuring some of his exotic collection


Ralph Lauren hosted an autumn–winter 2017–18 show with a difference, from his garage at his private home in Bedford, NY, showcasing some of the most stunning exotic cars in his collection alongside his clothing designs.
   Diane Keaton, Jessica Chastain, Nina Dobrev, Katie Holmes, Kevin Love, and Armie Hammer were among the celebrities attending, while Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid, among others, walked the catwalk inside Lauren’s expansive—and expensive—garage.
   The combined men’s (from Ralph Lauren’s Purple Label collection) and women’s show emphasized structure and quality, linking them to the hand-crafted shapes of, inter alia, classic Ferraris, Lamborghinis, a gull-wing Mercedes-Benz 300SL, an Aston Martin DB5 Volante, a Jaguar D-type, a 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Gangloff drophead coupé, and a 1938 Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic.
   ‘I love cars,’ said Lauren. ‘I think cars are … art, I think the clothes are fashion, and I think mixing the cars and mixing fashion is exciting. The cars are an exciting part of our culture.
   ‘People always want to come see the garage, and I thought it was an interesting time to do something different.’
   Lauren said originally he lacked the funds to buy a car, but his passion was fuelled from an early age. ‘I’m not a collector but I love the cars. And I bought cars because I wanted to drive them, and then I’d see another car and I wanted to drive that, and I didn’t know what to do with the car I bought in the first place, so I kept them all, and then all of a sudden I had a collection.
   ‘They’re like children, they all have something else to say.’
   Celebrities like Chastain were enamoured with the car and fashion collections, with the actress having a preference for Lauren’s convertibles.
   Dobrev said of the evening, ‘[It was] so beautiful and stunning, the juxtaposition of cars and the classic element with this fashion edge. All the clothes were so structured and perfectly tailored like an antique car.’
   Lauren’s son, David, now chief innovation officer for the Ralph Lauren Corp., said, ‘Ralph Lauren always designs from the life he lives, and so it was very natural for him to take this collection and find a connection between the automobile and his love of fashion.’
   The collection was immediately available via his website, in flagship stores around the world, and select retail partners.


Ralph Lauren: his love of cars and fashion by Lucire


Ralph Lauren fall 2017 runway show highlights by Lucire


A close-up of Ralph Lauren’s car collection by Lucire