For Fall 1972, Ralph Lauren debuted his first full women’s Collection with a runway show for friends, buyers, and fashion editors in the company’s original workspace. The line, which highlighted the brand’s signature exquisite tailoring and Ralph’s remarkable ability to infuse women’s fashion with elements of menswear and outdoorsy detailing, made an outsize and immediate mark on the world of fashion. Over the five decades since then, the brand’s designs—which also take inspiration from the natural beauty and rustic charm of the American West and New England—have become the gold standard for timeless American style with panache.