Earthy elegance at Ralph Lauren tops off New York Fashion Week

The veteran U.S. designer paired casual with elegant styles and utilitarian looks with evening wear for spring 2015. Gowns sported bush-style pockets and cotton canvas jackets overlaid elaborately beaded tops.

“It’s exactly what Ralph does best,” said Glenda Bailey, editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, following the fashion show in downtown Manhattan. “The khaki and safari with brights looked very modern. It told a very romantic story.”

Lauren showed sage green cargo pants and rich beige jodhpurs in shiny satins and silks. Mossy olive was set off by deep amethyst and vivid poppy.

A washed cotton safari shirt with epaulettes topped a floor-length ivory skirt. Sweeping tulle gowns were cinched with wide skin belts.

Dusty tones mixed easily with shimmering fabrics. A full gown in sage green came in a slouchy taffeta, belted with front pockets and rolled-up sleeves.

“He took that color olive drab right into evening,” said Andre Leon Talley, a former Vogue editor who is now artistic director at Zappos Couture, an online shopping site. “It’s safari goes glam.

“It’s for today’s woman who wants to take pieces and jazz up her wardrobe,” he said.

Also on Thursday, Calvin Klein showed a collection that contrasted simply structured dresses and straight coats over sheer, flared trousers and full, flowing skirts. Models wore knee-length tank dresses and mid-calf sweaters over floor-length skirts and over-sized pleated pants.

Dresses were sporty, with racer back shoulder straps, and the colors largely kept to navy, marine, black and papyrus along with a lacquer red leather and embroidered gun-metal mesh.

Hundreds of designers have shown their spring 2015 collections in recent days in New York.

Fashion Week comes around every six months, followed by weeks of fashion shows in London, Paris and Milan. (Reuters)