Ralph Lauren Spring 2011

Ralph Lauren's Spring 2011 collection was a country dance of formal prairie dresses and blouses in a whitewashed palette, with over-the-top-Texas longhorns and golden sparkle peppered in.
Lauren chose the American southwest as the regional inspiration for his latest collection, presenting an almost literal translation of the various styles of frilly, romantic flourishes found in long, sweeping skirts and voluminous blouses in the dust-bleached hues of the desert, complete with fringed leather, chokers and perforated leather. To pinpoint the geography even more precisely, we knew it was Texas he was after when we spotted silver longhorn hood ornaments on handbags and realized the American Indian-inspired chokers were bedazzled by diamonds.

The glittery, gold-sequined evening gowns that finished the show rounded out the effect.

But let's not forget that this is Ralph Lauren's version of America. A polite Southerner may call something "country" when they truly mean "hick," however this collection obviously anything but. Its down-home undertones are simply an authentic reference to the traditional style of country folk—in an undeniably high-fashion manifestation.