Fashion
September 10th, 2026
Author
Adelaide Guerisoli

For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well

For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well

It's the first day of New York Fashion Week, and Ralph Lauren has the task of setting the tone that will accompany the city throughout the week. Whimsy — the word that has been trending most on social media these past few weeks — seems to be the one that inspired the show. Whether it's because Practical Magic 2 has just hit theaters, or because spooky season is right around the corner, this Ralph Lauren SS27 feels like it stepped straight out of a '90s rom-com.

For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631850
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631849
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631848
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631847
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631846
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631845
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631844
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631843
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631842
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631841
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631840
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631839
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631825
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631837
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631836
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631835
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631834
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631833
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631832
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631831
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631830

The first look — tailored trousers paired with a jacquard corset top — gives absolutely no hint of the level of poetry and romance that follows, from fluffy Afghan goat fur to chain-trimmed vests and wide-leg chalk-stripe trousers so voluminous they form a small train. Evening dresses in translucent taffeta evoke old-fashioned American spring formals, while cummerbunds and fringed scarves tied at the waist add that touch of whimsy that makes the styling all the more interesting.

For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631829
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631828
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631827
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631826
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631838
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631824
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631823
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631822
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631821
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631820

All the great Ralph Lauren classics are present, but reinvented through a deliberate layering approach that makes even the dustier staples — cardigans, navy tailored suits, neckties — appealing to the youngest customers. Even when vintage elements such as Victorian collars and short-brimmed raffia hats appear, they never feel dull; on the contrary, paired with bare skin, exposed midriffs, and plunging necklines, they take on a certain glamorous aura.

Finally, the choice to pair distressed dark denim with gold sandals and tops is strongly reminiscent of a 2000s trend that blazed across red carpets, back when many stars didn't yet have a personal stylist and thought that throwing on a pair of jeans with a slightly dressier top would be enough to make a statement at their premiere.

For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631819
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631818
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631817
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631816
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631815
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631814
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631813
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631811
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631810
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631809
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631808
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631807
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631806
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631805
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631804
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631803
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631802
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631801
For Ralph Lauren's SS27, carefree is serious business With a rom-com-worthy collection, the American brand proves it knows its younger customers very well | Image 631812

All in all, this Ralph Lauren SS27 is an ode to carefree joy. The brand has managed to shed its self-referential tendencies in favor of a more playful creativity — often cinematic in feel — that will undoubtedly appeal to the new generations looking to invest in luxury streetstyle. Less stiff, less severe, less restrained than its older collections, for summer 2027 Ralph Lauren has chosen to be utterly sexy and romantic, with a touch of whimsy.

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