Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King were among a constellation of celebrities front row for Ralph Lauren’s spring 2026 presentation Wednesday evening at the designer’s Madison Avenue headquarters, where Winfrey said she planned to shop several looks from the collection. The event served as a high-profile kickoff to New York Fashion Week, which officially begins Thursday.
“ I love three outfits and I’m going to see if I can get ’em,” Winfrey told an interviewer after the show. She sat alongside King and joined a glittering audience that included Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas, Laura Dern, Naomi Watts, Usher, Jessica Chastain, Ariana DeBose and Mindy Kaling. David Lauren and Lauren Bush Lauren also attended and posed with Chopra and Jonas.
Winfrey, long a noted admirer of Lauren’s designs, recounted a personal history with the brand, saying she had followed Lauren since she first saw his ads and cable-knit sweaters and still owned pieces she bought decades ago. She told the interviewer she kept “every precious Ralph Lauren item I’ve ever bought,” including suede pants from 1992 and original polo shirts.
The collection juxtaposed menswear influences with fluid feminine lines. Models walked in relaxed, modern suiting — oversized blazers slung over bras or bandeaux, fluid trousers with sarong fronts and pinstripe pants paired with vests or belted jackets. The palette remained largely monochrome and red, accented with sculptural silver jewelry and wide-brim picture hats. Evening looks included flowing back-dipping dresses and strapless gowns tied at the front.
When Gayle King asked Ralph Lauren what one word described the collection after he took his bow, she answered, “Timeless,” adding that she could envision wearing many of the pieces. The crowd reaction underscored the designer’s enduring appeal and the show’s blend of heritage and contemporary tailoring.
Photographers captured a mix of candid front-row conversations and the runway finale, where models paraded the collection’s full range. The event’s celebrity turnout and Lauren’s continued prominence in his signature palette and silhouettes reinforced the label’s place in the opening moments of the city’s fashion calendar.
Organizers and guests noted the timing: the presentation unfolded just ahead of the official start of New York Fashion Week, drawing attention to a designer whose work the audience described as both aspirational and wearable. For many attendees, the show offered a preview of spring dressing and a reminder of Ralph Lauren’s long-running influence on American style.