Emily Ratajkowski once turned what looked like an ordinary dog walk into a striking fashion moment by stepping onto the streets of New York in black lace lingerie and boots. Photos from the 2017 outing have resurfaced on social media years later, bringing renewed attention to one of her most memorable fashion campaigns. However, there was more behind the images than an unexpectedly daring morning walk.
The model was actually working on a campaign for DKNY when the pictures were taken in Manhattan in January 2017. Ratajkowski wore a matching black lace bra and briefs while holding a dog's leash and walking through the city. The finished shoot became part of DKNY's Spring/Summer 2017 intimates, hosiery and sleepwear campaign.
The Dog Walk Was a Campaign
The photographs may make it appear that Ratajkowski simply decided to leave home in her underwear, but the walk was staged as part of a fashion advertisement. DKNY titled the campaign #GoodMorningDKNY and officially launched it on 13 March 2017. Photographer Sebastian Faena shot the campaign on location in New York.
In the accompanying fashion film, Ratajkowski wakes up inside a Manhattan apartment before preparing to take a dog outside. Instead of changing into a conventional street outfit, she leaves wearing a black lace bra, matching briefs and black boots before walking through the neighbourhood as people around her react to the unexpected look.
The outdoor scenes were filmed on 20 January 2017 during the New York winter. Contemporary reports said temperatures were in the 40s Fahrenheit, with some accounts putting conditions at around 6 degrees Celsius.
Ratajkowski also clarified online that she had been modelling for an upcoming campaign and was 'definitely very cold' during the shoot.
Behind the Black Lace Look
The lingerie was not simply a random black set selected for the video. DKNY identified the pieces as its black Unlined Demi Bra and matching Cheeky Boyshort from the brand's Classic Lace collection.
The matching lace created the streamlined black look seen in the street photographs, while Ratajkowski completed the outdoor outfit with black boots. Her brown hair was worn loose as she walked through the neighbourhood.
Images from the filming also show people nearby dressed in coats and other winter clothing, making Ratajkowski's lingerie look stand out even more against the January setting.
The wider Spring/Summer 2017 campaign featured Ratajkowski in several additional DKNY designs. Pieces highlighted by the brand included a sheer lace bralette, cheeky garter, wire-free bralette, low-rise bikini and mesh Litewear bodysuit, alongside hosiery including a fishnet thigh-high.
Why Emily Ratajkowski's Photos Look So Casual
Part of the concept was to place an unconventional outfit inside what appeared to be an ordinary New York morning. In the finished film, Ratajkowski moves through the city as neighbours, workers and drivers notice her before she eventually turns towards the camera and says, 'Good morning, New York.'
The reactions shown in the commercial form part of the campaign's narrative rather than evidence that Ratajkowski was simply walking through Manhattan during an ordinary day. One scene even shows a taxi driver becoming distracted before his vehicle hits another car. The sequence belongs to the staged fashion film and should not be interpreted as documentation of a genuine traffic accident caused by Ratajkowski.
DKNY described Ratajkowski in the film as embodying the attitude of a New Yorker who was confident and unafraid to make a statement. Ratajkowski also said at the time that expressing her individuality was important to her and that DKNY's message about strong, self-assured women made the collaboration a natural fit.
The 2017 Moment Returns Online
The 2017 street photographs have resurfaced on social media, where they can easily become separated from the context of the original DKNY campaign.
Without that background, the photographs can make the scene appear to be an unusually bold personal fashion choice rather than part of a commercial production.
Emily Ratajkowski walking her dog in lingerie (2017) pic.twitter.com/1eoaInJ6B3
— Rogue Fashion (@rogue) August 17, 2025
That distinction matters because describing the images simply as a casual dog walk leaves out the reason Emily Ratajkowski was dressed in lingerie on the streets of Manhattan. She was modelling DKNY's collection while cameras captured the staged New York scenario around her.
The walk was designed to feel spontaneous, but it was part of a carefully produced fashion campaign. Nearly a decade later, the photographs still attract attention because of the contrast at the centre of the shoot: a black lace lingerie set, and boots worn with complete composure during what appears, at first glance, to be an ordinary winter dog walk.
