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]

Congratulations to Heather, DJ, and Emma, winners of Styledash's Ralph Lauren Wild Giveaway!

Thanks for all the tantalizing comments. Just reading them made us crazy-excited for the good weather that is surely on the way. We love hearing from you!

Keep your eyes peeled for more great giveaways coming up on Styledash. We've got loads of stuff we're just dying to give you. In fact, there's a rumor of one today. . .

What kinds of products would you like to see given away on Styledash?

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.

Congratulations to Eleni, the winner of our Rugby Ralph Lauren Giveaway! Want another shot at some free Ralph Lauren stuff? Who wants to smell awesome? You do!

Or, maybe you want your girlfriend or sister or wife or shoes or cat to smell awesome! Ralph Lauren Wild smells "like a sweet summer day." Enter our Ralph Lauren Wild Giveaway!

We have three 1.7oz bottles of this fruity, flirty, floral fragrance to give to you. To enter our giveaway...

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]

Do rugby-style shirts ever go out of style? Yes, but they always come back.

And they're back! Rugby Ralph Lauren has just released their summer collection, which includes both classic and nouveaux styles in some great colors!

Ladies and gentlemen, witness our favorite item at right. This dress is the perfect cover-up for your tired skin after a long day at the beach, or on the boat when that cool air starts to come off the water. Throw out your sweatshirts, ladies. They're ugly.

Um, did we mention there's a His and Hers Giveaway? Read on for info on that, and on their online make-your-own feature!

Just in time for spring, Ralph Lauren brings us a new fruity-floral fragrance called Wild!

I like the name, and not just because they decided to name it after my native land (Minnesota)'s hockey team. I like the idea of waking up in the morning and feeling sort of "meh" and then spraying on some "Wild."

I keep mentally composing short films of Wild transforming me into a glamazon. As I spritz in front of the mirror, my hair turns awesome, flowers start growing on the walls, gorgeous men are magically drawn to the street below my bedroom window, my apartment turns into a jungle, etc. There are videos on the website, too (as well as wallpaper. Wallpaper? For a fragrance? Really?), but they are more along the lines of "look how pretty and free-spirited Amanda Charlwood is and consequently I bet she smells great."

As for the fragrance itself, Ralph Lauren was kind enough to send me a sample. I like it. It's freshly floral and very pretty smelling, like lying in a strawberry patch while eating watermelon and talking about boys with your best friend from when you were ten. Its casual, mood-lifting scent is great for daytime wear, and would make it an excellent gift for a friend--especially a hard-to-buy-for younger lady who is new to the land of perfume.

One thing the fragrance is not, though, is wild. My hair doesn't grow. Men don't appear. I don't feel any wilder. I just feel kinda like a sweet summer day. But as I sit here, smelling myself at my desk on the 36th floor of recirculated air in midtown Manhattan? That's totally enough for me.

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

My Styledash friends, I need your help.

I have worn out my favorite perfume. No, it's actually not the one pictured above, Philosophy's Amazing Grace. It's Ralph Lauren's Ralph - the one that comes in a short clear bottle with dark aqua blue lettering and design. I have been wearing it for years. Years. In fact, I've been wearing it so long, I doubt I can even smell it on myself anymore. You know what that means? I probably over-spray myself. (Incidentally, I received the Amazing Grace as a gift, tried it, and had to return it. I thought it was too sweet-smelling.)

So it's time for something fresh and new, both the maker and the scent. I am not fond of overly sweet smells unless I am wearing something that is specifically made to smell like a Vanilla Cupcake. I also don't like anything too musky or spicy. If I had to put it into poetry, I like the smell of fresh sunshine in the springtime.

I have gone into Sephora at least twice a week trying to find something I like. The problem is that after spritzing myself with about three different perfumes, they all start to blend together. Besides, I can never tell what they smell like on me because they all smell like alcohol right when you spray them.

What do you wear? Why do you like it? I need some suggestions.

Instant preppiness can be achieved by simply donning a polo shirt (or tennis shirt or golf shirt, whatever term tickles your fancy). My favorite way to wear a polo is with grungy jeans and messy accessories, because I guess I'm into that weird juxtaposed look.

Lacoste is probably the most popular brand for this shirt, and rightfully so. René Lacoste was a French tennis player, working when the sport's players still had to compete while wearing suits and ties. Looking for a creative alternative to their traditional stuffy attire, Lacoste created what we now know as the polo shirt -- he used it as a tennis shirt, obviously -- and started his own line of clothing: Gucci.

No, I'm just kidding, it was Lacoste. I was just testing you, see?

Other popular polo shirts come from Ralph Lauren's Polo line and just about any other place on the face of this earth that sells Western clothing. Seriously, polo shirts are everywhere. Also, it's tough to go wrong with a polo shirt, as long as it's not too baggy and fits close to the body. Honestly, it's just a glorified knit shirt, darlings.

Fun fact: Before annoying rich kids in high school made it look obnoxious, flipping the collar up on a polo shirt was not for fashion, but for function. Wearing the collar up would protect the wearer's neck from the sun during outdoor games.