Ralph Lauren is the latest designer to be celebrated in the Vogue On Designers book series, which is available to buy from last week. Written by author and journalist Kathleen Baird-Murray, the tome looks at the life and legacy of the man who changed the face of American fashion.
“In the same way that when you think of France, you think of Coco Chanel, when you think of America, there is one designer who springs to mind, and that’s Ralph Lauren,” Baird-Murray said. ”More than anyone, he has created a uniquely American way of dressing, one that the rest of the world has embraced – from the ease of its sportswear separates to key themes, like his western wear, or Hamptons preppy style, that have been re-worked over the years and become modern classics.”
As with all of the previous books in the collection (subjects have included Vivienne Westwood, Hubert de Givenchy and Alexander McQueen), the pages are filled with beautiful imagery taken from the Vogue archives. Remember Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell beaming in their glittering Ralph Lauren tunic tops? Or when the designer dressed Diane Keaton in cult Woody Allen film Annie Hall? The book relives Lauren’s most famous moments throughout his lengthy career, and explains how he paved the way for relaxed American style.
“When he started out, there was no Gap or Calvin Klein, and certainly no J. Crew; there was barely even a difference between the way people dressed in the week to the clothes they wore at the weekends,” added Baird-Murray. “Not only did Ralph Lauren make casual style accessible to all (and at every price point, a business model that’s been much admired the world over), he invited customers to enter a world – his world – be that the upper east side of New York, the fantasy of the cowboy on the ranch, the romance of the African safari, or even the aristocratic English stately home.”
