Ralph Lauren didn’t need reinvention - it needed remembering. That was the message in Milan, where the house staged only its third menswear runway show this century and reminded everyone just how wide its world really is.

Internally dubbed “Rolling Thunder,” the collection tapped into the growing pull toward Lauren’s archive and attitude. There was a renewed interest in the brand’s ability to dress different men, different lives, at once. To make that point clear, Polo and Purple Label shared a runway for the first time.

Polo arrived first, restless and eclectic. Gorpcore fleeces, folk knits, washed denim, duck-print workwear and rugby shirts - some reissued, some reworked - felt instinctive rather than styled. Ivy classics were loosened and re-cut: navy blazers, grey flannels, wide paisley ties worn without preciousness. Tailoring leaned intentionally baggy, echoing how younger collectors wear vintage Polo today. Even the more expressive moments - a hand-beaded suede western jacket, tartan evening trousers cut from proper kilt fabric - felt grounded.

Purple Label slowed the pace. Double-faced camel cashmere, grey suiting, and cable knits set a more composed tone, but one that still played with contradiction. Utility parkas in shearling, an airman’s jumpsuit worn over evening shirting, western belts cinching formal looks - elegance here was flexible, and not rigidly fixed. The closing look, worn by Tyson Beckford, layered a cashmere sherpa coat over an evening suit, finished with mountain boots.

Lauren stayed in New York ahead of womenswear but this was about individuality, range, and personal style - ideas that feel increasingly rare in menswear.

Rolling Thunder was delightfully triumphant.