Arguably one of the best parts of packing for a beach getaway is buying a pair or two of sandals for the trip: strappy styles for balmy evenings, colorful slides for the pool, breezy espadrilles for riding bikes. But there’s no shoe that can replicate the feeling of bare feet in the sand. So was Ralph Lauren‘s implication at his fall ’18 runway show on Monday during New York Fashion Week. The heralded American designer sent many of his models down the blue-plexiglas, pool-like runway barefoot, wearing only blue and white floral dresses that ached for a tropical vacation at, say, Round Hill, Jamaica — where the designer and his wife have a home.
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When Lauren did include footwear, it was of the vacation-appropriate variety: There were simple canvas espadrilles for the guys and a pair too for Bella Hadid, who opened the show in a denim and feather minidress matched with leather and denim espadrille wedges. There were other strappy sandals for women and even a few white rubber rainboots (the perfect footwear for cleaning a boat after taking it for a sail in the Caribbean).
The entire collection, footwear and all, was surprising in its springtime, even resortlike, feel. There were no chunky knit sweaters, riding jackets or shearling and suede coats, no knee-high oiled leather boots or any of the other signature pieces that Lauren has often showed during his fall collections.
Click through to see the entire Ralph Lauren Collection fall 2018 show.
