Fashionable Summer Reading – Ralph Lauren
Fashion Phoenix’s “Fashionable Summer Reading” is a collection of essays written by Susan Di Staulo. Susan is a fashion designer, illustrator and model living in Scottsdale with a passion for fashion and arts education. For more information, click Susan Di Staulo.
“THE AMERICAN DREAM” AS AMERICAN STYLE
What is American Style? Baseball, mom, the girl next door, red roses, apple pie and firecrackers on the Fourth of July— all of it. The colors, fragrances, emotions and ideals we hold: these are the ties that bind us. The freedom we cherish and the values we aspire to impart into our lives conflate with our personal experiences and form an aesthetic we identify as American.
The Polo Shirt is born 1972, esquire.com
It seems the “All American” image/look and the “American Dream” never involves Wal-Mart, trailer homes, fast food restaurants, endless highways, mortgages, or the rising cost of health insurance. It does, however, include California surfers, New York Socialites, Palm Beach Polo and verdant, ivy covered college campuses. The children are clean and polished, everyone holds at least one advanced degree, and no one seems to have any semblance of ethnicity. We, as Americans, love it, and buy it: hook, line and sinker. I am no exception. One of my very favorite American designers who can cultivate this clean-cut, moneyed look is Ralph Lauren. In my opinion, he is an absolute genius.
The Great Gatsby 1974, esquire.com
My very first introduction to Ralph Lauren was the film “The Great Gatsby.” His menswear costumed all the male actors in this film. The pairing of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ideology and the creative vision of Lauren was a most natural and cohesive blend. The film became my reference point to see true marketing at its finest as it cultivated and expanded in the years to follow. Lauren didn’t just design clothes – he designed an entire lifestyle, vision, and image most of us yearned for. He sold it, too. We could buy this “American Dream” and live it for ourselves. As Colin McDowell wrote in his book Ralph Lauren, The man, the vision, the style (2003, Rizzoli International Publications, Inc.) “The clothes themselves were so alluring. It is hard not to sound fanciful but they chime so perfectly with aspirations of so many they really seemed talismanic objects which once possessed, would somehow improve and enhance the owner’s life.”
It is my opinion that Ralph Lauren sells magic and dreams to come true. This may involve illusion and delusion, but it is always hopeful. His western wear line, Chaps, that he made popular in the 1970′s and 80′s, resurfaced the idealism of manifest destiny. His ski and tennis line, Polo Sport, gives us all, psychologically speaking, admission to any country club on earth. His resort collections float me through a yachting adventure. My choice is the Greek Isles. We somehow have faith that if we purchase these products, life will flow as smoothly and cleanly as the Lauren image projects.
ralphlauren.com
How do others interpret the designs of Ralph Lauren? I asked around, and here were some of the responses.
Nina, a former director of merchandising for Wills and Geiger, New York City: “I find him to be a brilliant marketer, and his immense success is due to ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.’ The objects of his affection are recycled segments of the now-lost WASP lifestyle and a smattering of European aristocratic landed-gentry life of yesteryear, combined with whatever is driving popular culture these days.”
Marta, an artist in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn says this: “Anton (her son) is six and he gets along very well with Ralph. Seriously, he wears Ralph Lauren a lot, the fit is perfect.”
Paul, an aspiring fashion designer: “He’s basically responsible for young men caring about how they look again and feeling comfortable in more than jeans and tees. He made men more comfortable to wear colors as opposed to just blue, red and Green (primaries) by gradually introducing new hues (secondary) into what they were used to. He enabled them to realize boys / men can wear color! He made the golf polo ‘the new tee shirt’ thus creating a preppy, contemporary, sophisticated, intelligent look to menswear. Once men realized they were treated with a greater respect and the girls liked it, they were hungry for more changes. Men no longer relied on their mothers or wives to dress them; they could make decisions on their own. Thanks to Ralph Lauren, a whole new retail shopping trend began.”
Kelley, a model, believes “The timelessness and classiness of his designs are beautiful. He knows how to cut a garment for a woman’s figure. His simplicity of line is both sexy and conservative. I just think his style works well for an American body, as opposed to a European body. As a model, I wear all brands from all over the world. I prefer the Lauren fit.”
Gale, a sales manager for Fresh Produce, a Colorado based apparel company: “He is an inspiration to so many designers. His work is classic and not trendy. It serves as a staple to many wardrobes.’
Ralph Lauren with his wife and children, ralphlauren.com
So, why has he so many fans? My guess is that his line covers high through moderate price points, thus allowing all of us to afford the “dream.” Maybe the appeal of his having grown up in the Bronx, from humble beginnings, and pulling himself up to be one of the richest men in the USA has something to do with it. Not only does the image he pushes offer hope, but his personal trajectory does as well. He has been married to the same woman for years and he appears to be solid and long lasting in his life – this durability works into his clothing. His life does not reflect the revolving doors so many of us see today, and his designs remain reliable and enduring as well. His clothing reflects the American values reflected in his own life: a true American dream.
0 comments permalink | 9:00 AM | 7.22.2009 |
