THE JOURNAL
The key pieces from MR PORTER’s exclusive, three-part capsule collection featuring Polo, PURPLE LABEL and RRL.
What do we talk about when we talk about Ralph Lauren? The past year has seen a near-constant stream of think-pieces and retrospectives concerning the man who has done more than any other to define American style. As he celebrates half a century at the forefront of fashion, it has become the norm to discuss him in abstract terms – as more of an idea, or set of ideas, than someone who has built a business out of designing and selling clothes. It’s no longer enough to simply consider his place in the industry. To grasp his full significance, you have to consider his place in the collective American psyche.
To a certain extent, this is unavoidable. Ralph Lauren has never just been about the clothes. The man himself admits that they are just one element in a far bigger picture. “What I do is about living,” he has said. But to focus solely on the brand is to risk losing sight of the product. For “The World of Ralph Lauren”, MR PORTER’s exclusive 50th-anniversary collection, we gathered together some of the brand’s greatest hits across the PURPLE LABEL, RRL and Polo Ralph Lauren lines – clothes that not only channel the spirit of the brand, but are desirable in their own right, too.
After showcasing the collection in its natural habitat two weeks ago, and then taking a closer look at the heritage of the brand last week, we thought it was only fair to now turn the spotlight onto the clothes themselves. Taken out of its usual context and dropped into a studio environment, that rich American tapestry of Montauk beach houses and Colorado ranches stripped away and replaced with a plain white Colorama, we’re finally able to see Ralph Lauren for what it truly is. Not just a weaver of dreams, but a designer of clothes – clothes that beg to be worn.
POLO RALPH LAUREN
The quintessential all-American brand, Polo Ralph Lauren is best known for its hugely popular polo shirts and brightly coloured cable-knit sweaters, which have become indelible icons of preppy east-coast style. MR PORTER’s exclusive collection channels the brand’s signature collegiate look in a slightly different way, with key items including regatta-striped cardigans and trousers, herringbone-tweed sports jackets, Fair Isle knitted vests and long-sleeved rugby shirts emblazoned with family crest logos recovered from the Ralph Lauren archives. Military surplus is a strong influence, too. Don’t miss one of the collection’s standout pieces, a sage-green bomber jacket modelled after the American military MA-1 and embroidered with military-style patches. We’ve styled it here over a plaid shirt, slouchy trousers and baseball cap – a thoroughly modern look for a brand now in its 51st year.
By some measure Ralph Lauren’s most rugged brand, RRL, takes its inspiration – and, indeed, its name – from the Lauren family ranch, a 22,000-acre slice of prime Colorado backcountry real estate in the shadow of the San Juan Mountains. You don’t have to be a ranch-hand to wear it, though. Highlights from MR PORTER’s exclusive collection include a chocolate-brown panelled shearling jacket, which featured prominently in the brand’s 50th-anniversary presentation – and is worn here with a checked wool- and cashmere-blend overshirt and a pair of distressed selvedge-denim jeans. Don’t miss the oiled-suede trousers, reinforced at the knee in a detail borrowed from heritage workwear, or the knee-length shearling overcoat that we’ve paired them with here. Other highlights include the heavily worn biker jacket and a patchwork overshirt cut from panels of plaid, flannel and jacquard. If you’re new to RRL, expect leather and denim to come pre-distressed and sterling silver belt buckles and accessories to have a gently burnished finish. It’s all designed to feel a bit faded and broken in, like the sort of thing you’d pull off the rack at the vintage store of your dreams.
RALPH LAUREN PURPLE LABEL
Launched in 1995 as a Savile Row-inspired tailoring brand, but now incorporating military outerwear, luxurious cashmere knitwear and more, Ralph Lauren PURPLE LABEL is an increasingly diverse brand – its USP somewhat less strictly defined than the preppy Polo or Western-inspired RRL lines. What ties all its divergent strands together, though, is an unerring dedication to quality. This is home to the designer’s finest creations. Look out for the butter-soft shearling flight jacket, one of our favourite pieces from our exclusive capsule. In a nod to Mr Lauren’s taste for subverting the traditional codes of menswear, we’ve styled it here with a formal shirt and bow tie – and completed the look with a pair of sturdy hiking-style boots. Elsewhere, a moss-green military greatcoat complete with gold buttons offers a stellar example of this season’s trend for full-length coats, while a handsome double-breasted pinstripe suit – worn here over a hand-knit charcoal cashmere rollneck – reminds us of PURPLE LABEL’s suited-and-booted origins.
