32. Ralph Lauren Was Onto Something
32. Ralph Lauren Was Onto Something
Finding Americana in Tokyo, plus Inspo via Old Stone Trade, Attersee, and vintage ads.
Before heading to Japan, I was already clued into the fact that the Japanese have their own unique relationship with America’s preppy fashion. There’s Take Ivy, the 1965 photo book published in Japan that’s brimming with pictures of Ivy League fashion. And there’s Japan’s obsession with perfecting American clothing traditions that were all but extinct before they stepped in: think the chokehold of Japanese selvedge denim.
But, excited to do some vintage shopping in Tokyo, what struck me most directly was how many shops were chock full of the exact same American vintage I’d find at home in New York. College tees, barn jackets, and a shocking amount of Ralph Lauren, whether it be sporty Polo anoraks or tweed blazers. Some shops felt like a rare and well-curated peek into American style eras of the past, but others felt like a visit to L-Train vintage, a few blocks from my house. More than once I found myself tempted to pick up a little RL to bring home, only to realize I could probably find it for cheaper on my home turf. So it goes sometimes with shopping abroad!
But, it did leave me thinking back to the brand — a favorite of my mom, and a frequent feature in the ever-evolving fashion collage that covered the teal walls of my high school bedroom — thanks to decades of iconic advertisements tucked into the magazines I loved so much, begging to be torn out and slapped up with Scotch tape.
In part what makes Lauren’s old ads so memorable is that they’re not really about the clothes. Lauren was a master of world-building — models tucked into a dusty log cabin dressed in layers of cozy plaid, or on the savannah somewhere holding a lion cub dressed in safari gear. I didn’t just want to wear Ralph Lauren, I wanted to be part of the brand’s universe.
Lauren also had an unmatched ability to blend the different bits of Americana in a way that feels refreshingly wearable. Instead of approaching western-wear like Bella Hadid and going full cowgirl, a cowboy hat is styled back to a tailored button-down or a crisp coat. As I’m starting to lean back into layering this fall, I’m drawn more to contrast then I am to a full-on aesthetic. My “core” is no core at all, but a thoughtful cherry-picking of the pieces I like from any given trend, weaving them together into a look that feels a bit more me.
While there are more insanely good Ralph Lauren ads then I have room here to highlight, I picked a few that feel particularly aligned with the season I’m aspiring to and cherry-picked the fashion that will get me there.
The Baggy Pant + Chunky Knit
In this rendition of my RL fall, I’ve escaped the city for a cozy upstate cabin, hair perfectly tousled and tucked into a chunky knit. Ignoring the presence of a pack of adorable puppies, this ad actually circles forward to a newer brand I’ve had on my radar, Old Stone Trade, which focuses on small-batch handmade pieces that embody that intersection of prep and the outdoors that I aspire to in my fall wardrobe.
The easy pairing of a tank styled back to slouchy separates like a pair of baggy jeans and an oversized sweater feels quintessentially fall to me. This past weekend, I spent a few days in the Hudson Valley and as the leaves just started their turning, I sat outside with my book lightly layered up but still able to bask in the sunshine. As the weeks go on, I’ll have to move my reading indoors, think: an apple cider in hand and a fireplace roaring.
Sweater: Old Stone Trade Aran Crewneck ($695), vintage Cowichan sweater ($150), vintage Ralph Lauren sweater ($80)
Pants: Still Here Subway Pants ($280), vintage Ralph Lauren chinos size 4 ($9)
The Chunky Sock And Suede Shoe
Imagine it: a traipse to a foggy Montauk beach, cuffs rolled up in case I want to dip my toes in the ocean. Chunky socks keep my feet warm after my salt water dip. The wind makes my eyes water and my nose turn red.
I can’t resist the combination of a thick, chunky wool sock and a pair of brown suede shoes. I’ve had Jamie Haller’s buttery nubuck Chukka on my wish list but since it’s currently sold out, I’ll probably hold off on getting anything new, I have some brown Prada loafers at home already that nicely fit the bill!
During the weekends as the leaves turn, one of my favorite little indulgences is to spend a Sunday morning in Fort Greene Park sipping a cappuccino and doing the New Yorker crossword. Perhaps not as far-flung as a visit to the beach, but still an outdoorsy adventure. A cozy pair of socks and shoes comfy enough for walking are the perfect combination.
Socks: Brother Vellies cloud sock ($35), Comme Si wool socks ($40)
Shoes: new: Tod’s loafer ($925) or used: Vintage Ralph Lauren Blucher in 8.5 ($30) or Vintage Ralph Lauren Moc in 8 ($33)
The Bottom-Unbuttoned Top and Tuxedo Pant
In New York, anyone walking a huge dog is flexing — somewhere nearby they have a huge apartment to house it. Looking at this ad, I see a Neoclassical Upper East Side townhouse and a pilates class followed by an afternoon martini at Cafe Carlyle.
A recent trip to the Attersee studio — appropriately located in a brownstone on E. 64th— had me fawning over a slim, longline hook-and-eye jacket known as the Nigel. The brand’s lush materials are in-part what keeps pulling me back, but also as the founder Isabel mentioned in chatting, it’s the fact that brand is designed to make workwear pieces that don’t feel so corporate or restrictive — they feel elegant and unfussy. This idea of the jacket or top with the bottom buttons left undone fits the bill for something between a ladies-who-lunch and corporate fall.
Tops: Attersee Nigel jacket ($1950), vintage Ralph Lauren coat dress ($225), Ganni minidress ($375)
Pants: J.Crew Delaney pants ($148), Rohe trousers ($330)
Collared Dress and Bold Tights
As aloof as summer makes me feel, normally as fall approaches I enter nesting mode, more inclined to curl up on the couch then to leave home after the sun sets (so early btw!). But, knowing that the creeping darkness and chill will at times call for dressing up, I love the look of a pair of playful tights styled back to something simple. In the case of RL, it’s the pomp of a collared dress.
There’s something decidedly British about the look — the girls above sit on an old, mossy set of steps, perhaps taking a smoke break in the midst of a Saltburn style soirée. My ideal get-together is something a bit more reformed (two drink maximum!) but a chance to dress up nonetheless.
Dress: vintage Ralph Lauren cuff dress ($250), Sandy Liang Ado dress ($795)
The Rugby Shirt
Since most days I’m in some sort of athleisure, working from my dining table or running errands in the neighborhood, let’s keep things sporty with the rugby shirt. This shot has a strikingly collegiate feel to me — a return to the campus quad and running from class to class through the soft sun.
Fun fact: the boyfriend I had in early college was a rugby player, so if anything I suppose I’m circling back to who I was fashion-wise at 19. Instead of styling them with chinos in the spirit of a Choate student or a member of the crew team somewhere, the ideal is thrown nonchalantly over a slip skirt, like the J.Crew one I spotted on many an editor at the brand’s NYFW dinner.
Rugby’s: Guest In Residence rugby ($545), vintage Polo rugby ($35), vintage Nike rugby ($30)
Something slinky: J.Crew Gwyneth skirt ($168), Baserange skirt ($68 on sale)
I arrived back from a 95 degree Tokyo, to a Brooklyn that was already gripped by the first tendrils of fall. Ralph Lauren’s NYFW show had just happened — he’d schlepped showgoers three hours from the city all the way out to a horse farm in Bridgehampton. The world of Ralph marches on.
That’s all! If you want to know more about the genius of Mr. Lauren, I highly recommend American Ivy, the podcast by Avery Trufelman I wrote about here back in 2023!
can we all just live in RL's world??! love this!