LUX TUX & JANELLE MONAE

BY: Andy Shoulders

I’ll have the runway show with a side of club, please!

For Ralph Lauren’s latest show, the designer continued his recent penchant for fully immersing his audience in an experience rather than simply sending his models down the runway. This time around, the crowd was treated to an art deco-inspired jazz wonderland called “Ralph’s Club” inside the Bank of New York building. Complete with namesake matchbooks and mint tins at the bar, Ralph’s Club played host to Ralph Lauren’s heavily sequined and velveted show. Joan Smalls and the Hadid sisters were on hand to navigate the grand staircase and bring the looks to life, which gave us a twist on traditional evening gowns and tuxedos – LOTS of them. From classic monochrome tuxes to primary colored options, halter tux jumpsuits to sequined tux T-shirt dresses, full on glamour and tuxedo twists were the clear themes. Splashed into these themes were vibrant tones of amethyst, sapphire, and yellow in lux fabrics like satin, lame, and cashmere.

You can watch the entire show including Janelle Monae’s champagne tossing performance:

The real highlight, however, was the surprise performance by none other than Janelle Monae – the perfect fit for a 1920s-esque night of jazz. Dressed in a backless, tuxedo-inspired (remember – LOTS of tuxedos) halter top, detached wrist cuffs, and sheer plaid skirt/cummerbund combo, Monae belted classics like Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” and Nat King Cole’s “Smile.” Following a tribute to the designer, Monae moved the performance offstage, and turned Ralph’s Club into her own musical playground. While singing her 2010 hit “Come Alive (War of the Roses),” she absolutely commanded the room by climbing on tables, crawling on the floor, and spraying champagne in the air.

“It just was the right time,” Lauren told the Associated Press after the show. “We’re celebrating. There are a lot of things in the world that are not so wonderful. Every once in awhile, it’s nice to dance.”

Let’s face it – we all need a bit of escapism these days. A moment away from the relentless missile testing, Trump anything-ing, Brexit-ing…you get the idea. The real challenge is where to find it. When it comes to the choice of escaping to a beloved, bygone era or conjuring up a new future, Ralph Lauren clearly chose the former.

And he nailed it.