In 2004, the Polo Fashion School was established, in which company executives work with inner-city youth to offer insights into the fashion business. Send me exclusive offers, unique gift ideas, and personalized tips for shopping and selling on Etsy. What are some features of the signature Ralph Lauren polo?
A cocktail dress with a vintage leather jacket; a battered plaid shirt over a pinstripe suit. Indeed, Flusser sees it as a particularly American form of dress. The Diana-like shot of navy chalkstripe suit and buttoned white shirt is equally inspiring, and in a very practical way. I have a navy flannel suit, white shirt and black shoes.
You put the items out, having a good idea of what you propose to wear with what, but then as part of the packing process you see together items you’d never have thought of combining, et voila! Of course you don’t (and can’t, currently) Polo Ralph Lauren t shirt have to be going on holiday to get stuff out and try new combinations. I’m still not convinced Ralph’s signature look of tuxedo with blue jeans really works. First is that it helps if the pieces are ‘stand-alone classics’.
The leather jacket appeals over the cocktail dress because we can almost feel the difference in texture. On a personal level, it makes me wonder whether there’s any way I could wear tweed and velvet together. Anyone that likes tweed, or Fair Isle patterns, will find something in these colour mixes – the combination of maroon, grey and turquoise, often with a soft white or chambray shirt underneath. Certainly, some of these combinations would be more at home at Pitti than my local high street. I’m not going to wear a cream-linen suit, white-linen shirt, and butter-coloured straw hat at the bus stop.
Today, Ralph Lauren carries luxury clothing for men and women, handbags, footwear, jewelry and home accessories. We have so many tightly defined rules about what is appropriate and manly, and what is not, that change in any direction is seen as breaking the rules and therefore being unmanly, loud, foppish or simply ludicrous. Men are extremely resistant to clothing style changes in most Western cultures, although not in some Eastern cultures. Granted much of this variety is displayed by those in the music, film and show businesses.
In the West, the variations, all of them cyclical, have to do with details that are minute, by comparison. Lapel width, placement of gorge, darts, flaps on pockets, pleats, cuffs — that’s about it. So a willingness to experiment is seen as something that breaks what is de rigueur. Perhaps this polo dress shirts has to do with a belief that rectitude and integrity can only be reflected by clothes that are dark and sober, with little in the way of flourishes other than patterned and coloured neckwear. A central theme of Ralph Lauren womenswear has been mixing clothes in unexpected combinations.
There is a shortage of men who want to dress as American Indians. Fashion looks will always be contrived – or in their words, aspirational. Also, on colour, just to point out – there is no lack of it in Ivy or Preppy traditions in the US, or country attire in the UK. Red trousers, yellow socks, pink shirts and green ties. On the question of ‘surprise’ combinations I’ve recently been surprised by some serendipitous pairings I’ve come across when packing to go on holiday.
Also in October, Ralph Lauren Corporation has appointed former Obama administration consultant Valerie Jarrett to the board of directors. The company launched its website and online shop in 2000 as polo.com by RL Media . In 2007, Ralph Lauren Corporation acquired the NBC share of RL Media and the website was relaunched as ralphlauren.com. In September 2015, it was announced that Stefan Larsson would replace the company’s founder, Ralph Lauren, as CEO in November.
Some garments are available in smaller or larger sizes, as well. Some designs are mimicked in the men’s section, like the signature polo, and are available in a variety of men’s fits as well.