When I finally moved into my new place, a couple of years back, I decided to go in a new, safer direction: Black & White. Though after seeing this new collection by Ralph Lauren, I may very well opt for a tri-brid of Black, White and hints of Gold for my next place. One good thing about most Lauren interiors is that they are often quite suitable for either the sophisticated gentleman or gentlewoman. Sometimes, it's just a matter of switching out one or two accessories to be more gender specific. (Oh, and by the way, the second time around I did decide to hire a professional painter to paint my new apartment: semi-gloss white, with a small black accent wall.)
ne Fifth, Ralph Lauren's latest Home Collection, is beyond beautiful and sexy with its Art Deco influence and black & gold detailing. The gold textured walls are exquisite. A few years back, I tried to duplicate this process, but was quite unsuccessful. After seeing it done in a magazine, I anxiously went out and purchased the required accoutrement: paint, the special rollers, drop cloths etc., but it proved a rather disastrous undertaking. Since my place at the time was primarily furnished in earth tones (cream, tan, brown and gold), I really thought gold-toned walls would prove most complementary. And maybe they would have, but... When I finally moved into my new place, a couple of years back, I decided to go in a new, safer direction: Black & White. Though after seeing this new collection by Ralph Lauren, I may very well opt for a tri-brid of Black, White and hints of Gold for my next place. One good thing about most Lauren interiors is that they are often quite suitable for either the sophisticated gentleman or gentlewoman. Sometimes, it's just a matter of switching out one or two accessories to be more gender specific. (Oh, and by the way, the second time around I did decide to hire a professional painter to paint my new apartment: semi-gloss white, with a small black accent wall.) I had the opportunity to puchase the Clivedon Carved Chair, shown above, in a black, faux crocodile covering. Even though they were reduced to $3,000.00 each (reg. price was approx. $10,000.00), I begged off. Dilemma: Brand new, gently-reduced chairs or a gently used car? (All Photographs and Video via Polo.com)
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t’s never easy to be your own man, and your father’s son, but David is absolutely both,” remarked Vogue’s doyenne, Anna Wintour, about Ralph Lauren’s middle child. How many young men, particularly those born to prominent and successful fathers, can honestly have this said about them? This grand statement is even more poignant for someone who’s been able to cut their own path in their parent’s world, to now be touted as the possible heir apparent of his father’s fashion empire. And not just any empire, but a world-famous conglomerate with a market cap of $13 billion: Polo Ralph Lauren. As Vice-President and head of Ralph Lauren Media, thirty-nine year old David Lauren, a Duke graduate, has ushered this venerable lifestyle brand into the digital age (see last year’s 4D video here), engendering such accolades from his father as, “You have made me very proud.” Who doesn’t want to hear these words uttered from a parent? Especially, when you’re partially responsible for taking his “baby” to the next level and beyond. I remember David’s foray into print media back in the 90’s with Swing magazine. At the time, it was a cutting-edge magazine that spoke to the hearts and minds of twentysomethings and their lifestyle. The 1994 premiere issue, which I still have, (shown here) profiled the likes of Dell computer’s, Michael Dell, John Singleton, Dr. Dre, Queen Latifah, Mariah Carey, Julia Roberts and Cindy Crawford to name a few of the now extraordinarily famous fotysomethings. Today, on Oprah, she interviewed the incomparable Mr. Ralph Lauren and his accomplished, close-knit family: his wife, Ricky, his daughter, Dylan, and his two sons: Andrew and David. We're given a look at their 17,000 acre ranch (the Double RL) in Telluride, CO. My aunt owns over 100 acres and I know how hard that is to maintain. I can't even image 17,000 acres. (All images by George Burns via Oprah & Polo.com) (Video via Oprah.com) ugattis, Porsches, Ferraris (and, of course, the occasional Morgan, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz), are all there in the most extraordinary and impressively prodigious vintage car collection of Ralph Lauren. Having collected and meticulously restored 60 plus automobiles over the last several decades, this is a man who has indeed proven to be driven and influenced by his automotive passions; parts of which are often re-interpreted sartorially and have been known to show up in one of his collections (the RL-CF1 Carbon Fiber lounge chair, for example). He is definitely not a collector of the nouveaux riche variety: those who are, often too eager to show the world what their money can buy. The fact that he routinely drives these asphalt demons is further testament to his (in)vested interest and dedication to these most breathtakingly sexy, exotic and sophisticated "toys." Handsomely showcased in this month's issue of Vanity Fair, are but a few of Mr. Lauren's priceless and frightfully well-kept mistresses. (All Photographs by Todd Eberle for Vanity Fair) While watching the documentary channel several weeks back, I came across this wonderfully executed piece, "SPEED, STYLE & BEAUTY: The Ralph Lauren Car Collection, which apparently is based on his book of the same name. To look at still images in a book is one thing, but to see moving video of these exquisite (and often extraordinarily rare) automobiles is breathtaking. How the camera pans and glides over the curves and lines of the Mercedes Gullwing can only be surpassed by seeing it in person. The shine on the vehicles (the red & black ones, in particular) looked as brilliantly polished as a woman's manicure; each seemingly lacquered to a high-gloss. Had I been aware of this eclectic melange of automotive perfection when it was shown in gallery, I really do think that I would have purchased an airplane ticket just to have been able to witness, first hand, the visually intoxicating glory of this amazingly seductive car collection up close and personal. Oh well, in the meantime... (Video via Youtube) You Might Also Like:
Ralph Lauren has done it again. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of RalphLauren.com, today the lifestyle impresario released two highly innovative videos in 4D! One was splashed across the facade of the recently unveiled women's Madison Avenue store, the other onto the London flagship: Polo ponies cantering across the store fronts, as did models down superimposed runways. Since it was all presented in 4D, the breathtaking images seemingly galloped from their equally impressive backdrops. Bravo, Monsieur Lauren! How does the adage go: "Often imitated, never duplicated." Welcome to the world of Ralph Lauren. NEW YORK LONDON |
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Architectural Digest Elle Decor Esquire GQ Interiors Magazine Polo Ralph Lauren The Rake Vanity Fair N.D. Harrington
I was born in the country, but brought up in the big city, with hopes of always maintaining the charm, wit and character of a southern, sophisticated gentleman. In my goal to live more passionately & purposefully, here are just a few things that I've learned and experienced along the way, making my journey more interesting, and more importantly, easier. Categories:
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