The garment is not stagnant. It never was, and all attempts to make it so have been thwarted by the inevitable motion of its wearer, almost always, but not sometimes, a human being that desires, at least at some point in their lives, to move.

​Such is the way on 46 Lafayette Street in Lower Manhattan, where Ralph Lauren presented their Fall 2026 collection, an ode to the renegade woman, in an intimate runway show Tuesday night.

​Ralph Lauren’s Fall ‘26 muse is both practical and sophisticated. Her clothes are beautiful and well-fitted, all the better to take off at a moment’s notice when the right mood strikes. Satin shirts are paired with velvet jackets and twill scarves; skirts made from tapestry are paired with brown suede accessories; the colors are warm, muted, and rich, a balance of fashion and function.

​Gigi Hadid opened the show in an ensemble mixing tweed and calfskin and silver and calfskin in a mingling of texture and finish fit for a lifelong collector of beautiful things and accoutrements; a collection acquired by way of a stamp-filled passport. The final look, worn by model Charlotte Boggia, was a simple brown velvet gown with flowing sleeves and a sweeping hem, its ease suggesting both ceremony and escape: a dress for slipping out of a ballroom and into the night air without missing a step.

​Several stars, in their own endless adventures through life, gathered in New York City to view Ralph Lauren’s showing. Guests included Anne Hathaway, Lana Del Rey, Ariana DeBose, Lili Reinhart, Emilia Jones, Diana Silvers, Kim Do-yeon, Krystal Jung, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Spector, and more.

​Amid celebrity and velvet, the collection resisted stillness. These were clothes designed for women in transit, women mid-story, women unwilling to be fixed in place. In Ralph Lauren’s vision, the garment remains a companion to the restless, carrying with it the promise of wherever one might go next.