Ralph Lauren at Downton Abbey
19/12/2012 § 1 Comment
A private showing of Ralph Lauren Collection Fall/Winter 2012 at Highclere Castle, the real-life stand in for Downton Abbey? Evidently my invitation was lost in the mail, but at least we have these gorgeous photos taken by Chris Allerton to comfort ourselves with.
Images via Ralph Lauren.
Happy Mother’s Day
12/05/2012 § 4 Comments
Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mothers out there,
and especially to my own fabulous mom.
Also, if you’d fancy reading a post I did for the Rugby Ralph Lauren Style
blog about three style lessons I learned from my mom, you can find it here.
Fetch My Walking Stick… {Ralph Lauren Collection Fall/Winter 2012}
16/02/2012 § 8 Comments
So. He opened the show with the Downton Abbey theme song.
Mr. Lauren, can you please exit my brain?
Just kidding! Stay as long as you like. Forever, even.
Please prepare yourself for a mammoth montage of photos from the Ralph Lauren Fall/Winter 2012 show. The full looks are amazing — two movements here really: first, classic English countryside, tailored, outrageously layered patterns and a stroke of ocelot genius; and second, a glamorous art deco, jewel-toned luxury that echoes his recent home collection — but you can scoot off to plenty of other places on the internets for that. Here, I’d like to draw your attention to some detail shots by Mr. Marcio Madeira, my favorite runway photographer. The inspiration abounds.
Long story short, I love the collection. But I’m sure you knew that already.
Someone fetch my walking stick.
Oh my.
One more time for good measure…
All photos by Marcio Madeira for First Look/Vogue. For all the looks, head here.
Rabbit Hole: Yasmin Le Bon for Ralph Lauren Fall 1985
03/01/2012 § 1 Comment
I know this campaign is nearly 30 years old and all, but can someone please invent a time machine and bring me back every single thing Yasmin Le Bon is wearing in these photos from the 1985 Ralph Lauren fall campaign? The pleated stirrup pant, the paisley scarf and the herringbone duster are the most urgently needed items, if you have to prioritize. Many thanks.
All images via the Style Registry.
Rabbit Hole: Vintage Ralph Lauren
06/10/2011 § Leave a comment
You might hate me after this.
…but I just happened upon The Style Registry’s treasure trove of classic Ralph Lauren campaigns, and I couldn’t resist. Could you really expect me to? So much inspiration. If you hate Americana, ladies in ties, boats and/or classic supermodels, it would probably be best to just skip along to the next post. I’d also question our friendship, but I am very open-minded. For your perusal, a few classic RL images — many shot by Bruce Weber — dating from 1981 through 1997.
Oh. My. God.
Shades of Out of Africa. It’s almost too much.
All images via The Style Registry.
Just When I Thought I Was Out… {Ralph Lauren Collection Spring 2012}
16/09/2011 § 2 Comments
…they keep pulling me back in.” — Michael Corleone
I suppose I should have never doubted that Ralph Lauren would be my favorite from NYFW. We go way, way back. And this time around I flirted with the idea of another man, but the indomitable Mr. Lauren didn’t care. He waited. He reclinated. He knew that when he would drop his glittering collection on my head, I’d come running right back to his side. He knew that I wouldn’t ever be able to say no to him…
The man was right.
For spring 2012, while most other collections showed influences of the 1930s and 40s, Mr. Lauren reached back even further to a decade he is most comfortable with — the 1920s. And why not? His costumes for Jack Clayton’s Gatsby are constantly referenced by fashion and costume designers. Why not seize upon spring’s nostalgia, ratchet up the glamour and hit his own sweet spot? Textbook really. These are clothes for both Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker, and you probably already know I tend to like Jordan a bit more… If you were looking for 1920s with an edge, for the ironic jazz age, you won’t find it here, because that is not what Mr. Lauren does. You need to go talk to Thom Browne if that’s what you want, because that’s what he showed this week. Mr. Lauren is unfailingly earnest, and you will either find this boring, or love it to death as I do. Ralph Lauren is not an iconoclast — he is an icon. And it is a dying breed at that…
Mr. Lauren’s spring 2012 is iridescent, feathered, and jeweled. It is club-collared, double-breasted and cuffed. The palazzo pant is making a return. You better learn how to tie a tie and how to wear a cloche hat. And above all, get thyself to a fabulous ball because these gorgeous silk gowns, they are screaming to be worn.
Now, I had to restrain myself here. Of course I wanted to post it all down to the last drop, but if you really want to see every outfit, you can head over to Vogue for that. And I highly recommend you do because photographer Marcio Madeira had a field day. His shots are A.Maz.Ing. What I wanted to share with you, were some of my favorite looks, coupled with some of my favorite detail shots (Madeira blew my mind with these — I have yet to see any other runway detail shots that are this lavish, this indulgent).
Ready? Let’s Charleston…
“Let’s, let’s stay together
Loving you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad…”
Well done, sir.
All images via Vogue.
Quite Continental 