Posts with tag RalphLauren

We know it seems like a strange time to take a break from reality and practice the blissful escapism that is the American dream -- but why the hell not fantasize about a martini shaker that you totally can't afford. This entire week, we've been daydreaming about retardedly expensive luxury items like Louis Vuitton yachts. Maybe it's the turmoil in the financial markets, or maybe this Ralph Lauren cocktail shaker really would make martinis taste $275 better than the ones at Target.

We can tell you one thing for sure -- pouring a martini from this leather-wrapped cocktail shaker would make you look a lot more like James Bond. Might even make important people crowd around you at parties. It certainly looks a lot more like our vision of the American dream. The one where we float around on a yacht all day wearing Polo shirts, drinking martinis with JFK and fixing the world's problems all day.

For $295, it better turn Smirnoff into Grey Goose.

[via HauteConcept]

Ralph Lauren was looking to safari and African travel to inspire his S/S '09 collection of women's wear. From khaki to silk, Lauren represents something casual and familiar but still sexy and relevant.

Don't take our word for it, check out the show on video with a visit to ralphlauren.com or this direct link. Lauren's seasonal presentation, during New York Fashion Week at Skylight Studio, actually takes place twice to accommodate the crowd. This is the Ralph Lauren Collection rather than Polo, Black Label or Purple Label. The catwalk we saw is the same show you can see at this link. We love the head wear, it ranges from ethnic and exotic, to chic and urban.

As was mentioned earlier, Gossip Girl kicks of with a new season on September 1st. While most of us will never be reared in super-exclusive private schools or live in lush New York apartments like our favorite television frenemies Serena and Blair, that doesn't mean we can't look as if we did.

Ralph Lauren's younger label, Rugby, has just opened its online store and it's full of preppy garb like polo tops, blazers, chinos, buttoned-down oxford shirts, berets, and luxe knit sweaters. One can even customize their very own rugby with bold stripes or a regal crest.

So you can make your own prep school uniform without having to take any exams, which is always a good thing. Now, just don't get into any trouble like Serena and Blair because, well, there won't be any juicy plot to bail you out.

Haven't you ever walked by a store window, or seen an ad for something and thought, "Boy, I'd like to buy that right now without setting foot in a store"? Ralph Lauren is working hard to make that happen, by launching into mobile commerce (m-commerce) which will allow potential consumers to scan a code on a display, ad, or mailer with their phones and shop for the Polo items they adore.

To do this, the company will use Quick Response Technology, which is already popular in Asia and Europe. This makes Polo the first luxury retailer in the U.S. to do so.

Kelly Roland looks picture perfect in this eye popping dress by Ralph Lauren at Alicia Key's party, the Black Ball UK in London, which benefited the "Keep a Child Alive" HIV/AIDS charity.

Though this dress is quiet fancy here, we just couldn't help ourselves. Kelly looks gorgeous in the color and we can never, ever, ever get enough of Ralph Lauren's simple yet elegant clothes. To us, Ralph Lauren clothes are like sugar because you can mix it into anything you want. This dress would look equally as good with a pair of jeweled flats in St. Tropez. Fan.tas.tic.

And there's the always beautiful Alicia, seemingly dressed down at her own event but plugging her Obama support nontheless. Go B.O.!

We told you that Ralph Lauren was chosen to outfit the 1,500 or so athletes representing the United States at this year's Olympics in Beijing, but we didn't realize that the patriotic designer was making a lineup for Team USA zealots. Now, we can show our support for our nation's athletes by shelling out $125 to Ralph Lauren for an official US 2008 polo shirt. Go capitalism!

If you happen to be one of those people who likes to wear polos that are absolutely covered in official-looking badges and symbols -- you're in luck. The Olympic Games Collection is pretty much covered up in embroidered junk. Honestly, we're really not so fond of that type of thing. We're especially not fond of the giant Chinese characters on the front of this shirt that translate to "Beijing." Put the Chinese characters for "America kicks ass," and we'll wear that shirt with pride. We might even get the slogan tattooed -- on our teeth.

[via SeeJackShop]

What recession? You'd never know the country is in belt tightening mode by looking at the children's departments of upscale stores like Saks Fifth Avenue or Neiman Marcus. With designer names and totally impractical materials -- silk? cashmere? for a baby? -- the racks are full of high fashion and high prices.

We suspect that Suri Cruise is somehow to blame. Talk about the child most likely to become Claire, Molly Ringwald's character in The Breakfast Club, who got detention for skipping school to go shopping. Perfectly coiffed and dressed, she has a wardrobe full of Cavalli, Dior and Burberry. And she's just turned two. We can only imagine what she'll be wearing at 16.

Some fancy baby duds for folks with more money than sense, in the gallery.

The American Olympians won't be the only athletes rocking designer duds a la Ralph Lauren this summer.

Manchester United Football Club has tapped Paul Smith to design the teams formal wear and accessories for the next three years.

Last week, Madonna finally dropped her album Hard Candy and every able-bodied New Yorker came out to the Roseland in Manhattan to watch the diva perform her hot new dance tracks.

Decked out in head-to-toe Dolce & Gabbana athletic gear, Madge performed her hit "4 minutes on stage with Justin Timberlake" while a slew of CFDA babes like Donna Karan, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, Harvey Weinstein, Lyor Cohen, Tory Burch and Rosie O'Donnell danced along.

Meanwhile, right after her live performance, Madonna slipped on a Ralph Lauren frock and headed over to friend/photographer Steven Klein's birthday party at The Box where waiters walked around in Dolce & Gabbana underwear all night.

And who said you were suppose to start slowing down at 50?

[via WWD]

It's no secret that J.C. Penney wants to be like Macy's.

And since J.C. Penney can't tap celebrities like Usher, Mariah Carey, and Carlos Santana to promote its adult-centered store merchandise, they've aimed their targets at a more impressionable audience. That's right, people. We're talking about the bright young things.

Translation: The tweens, teens, and young adults alike.

Naomi Campbell spits on strangers. Now she's banned from British Airways for life. [Reuters]

Wish you could beat Karl Lagerfeld with a baseball bat and steal his car? Now you can! He's in Grand Theft Auto IV. [Shiny Shiny]

Are you a hopeless douche bag who tries too hard to be cool? Then you'll want this lame handbag "Urban Performer Unit" in your arsenal. [Gizmodo]

I've never been a fan of logos, designer labels, or any of that crap, unless it's something sarcastic like a middle finger -- and then it's only kinda cool. So it's no surprise that I can't stand this ridiculous new logo for Ralph Lauren's high end line, Purple Label. Look, I'm OK with the small and inconspicuous polo player -- because I've seen it all my life -- but this new one is just ugly and over the top.

A multi-color, oversized logo of a polo player riding a leaping horse? Really? I thought RL might have better taste than that, especially on a shirt that's over $200. I think that might be even worse than The Big Pony collection that features giant versions of the original logo. Maybe RL has been spending too much time thinking about that over-hyped American Living Collection.

Logos never make clothing look better and, more often than not, they just screw up whatever the design had going for it in the first place. The only place for a logo as far as I'm concerned is inside the collar. If I paid $245 for a polo shirt, the last thing I'd want to do is lease out part of my shirt for advertising space.

Buy for $245
[via ManoloMen]

Need some more oxford shirts, chinos, and rugbys?

Ralph Lauren is planning to build a second flagship store in Manhattan. The new palace of all things preppy will be located at 888 Madison Avenue on the corner of East 72nd Street and across the street from his store at the Rhinelander mansion.

According to WWD, the store will house Ralph Lauren's women's and home collections. It will occupy the space once dedicated to Polo Sport , which has become a lifestyle boutique in recent years -- offering a mix of merchandise from RLX, Blue Label, and men's and women's Collection.

As for the current space, the company plans to completely gut and rebuild it, as it is replacing the two-story structure with a four-story building.

The new flagship will take inspirations from the Rhinelander mansion as well as The Duke and Frick mansions.

It doesn't really seem possible that JCPenney could already be discounting their brand new American Living clothing line. American Living -- a collaborative effort between JCP and Ralph Lauren -- has only been available for a week or so. You might remember those 50 commercials that JCPenny jammed down your throat throughout the course of Oscar night?

Anyhow, the sale is on, and one of the sweet deals is this lightweight, reversible jacket. I couldn't find a picture with the blue/green plaid side out and it's a shame. Plaid is pretty fashionable now, but this is more your 'prep school plaid' -- as opposed to 'lumberjack plaid.'

This jacket has a nice conservative look to it, but the plaid gives you something fun to work with -- it's basically a Ralph Lauren jacket. Plus, instead of a dorky Polo player, the insignia is a sweet eagle clutching an American flag in its killer talons. Colbert would be proud.

Buy for $69.99

Last week Lauren reported that Gwen Stefani was suing Forever 21 for knocking off her designs. Today Vogue UK brings news of a similar suit, although not one as young and trendy. Levi has filed a lawsuit Polo Ralph Lauren claiming that Lauren is copying their pocket stitching. The Vogue article says that Lauren has imitated their trademark "arcuate" pocket stitching. Arcuate? I'll admit I didn't know the word so I looked it up. It basically means curved or arched. The jeans design is the oldest known apparel trademark in the US, protected since 1873 so Ralph and his team have some explaining to do. It would be very hard to claim ignorance of one of the most recognizable design styles.