Ralph Lauren: The Man, the Vision, the Style - Book Report/Review Example

Topic: Ralph Lauren: The Man, the Vision, the Style Ralph Lauren is regarded as one of the most successful fashion designers in the world today, largely due to the popularity of his iconic “Polo” line of clothing. Colin McDowell recently published an authorized biography of Ralph Lauren entitled “The Man, the Vision, the Style” (2003), which is a sleek and glossy publication that reads like one of the fashion magazines that has made Lauren famous. As the book represents Lauren’s authorized biography, it tells the story of his life from his own perspective, with the writer given unprecedented access to the designer to research the book. McDowell himself is an accomplished historian of the fashion industry, having written biographies of other “rockstar” designers such as John Galliano and Jean Paul Gautier. The book reflects the high standards of quality that the public expects from Lauren, and the story itself reads as a Horatio Alger story of a son of immigrants to America who builds a business empire worth billions of dollars. The mythology of the Ralph Lauren biography as presented here by McDowell is itself symbolic of the attainment of success that his clothes represent popularly in the culture. One of the most surprising aspects of the biography to the casual reader is introduced at the very start of the book, where the reader learns that Ralph Lauren was actually born with the name of Ralph Lifshitz, as the son of Jewish immigrants growing up in New York City. Lauren was born in 1939 in the United States, and his parents fled growing anti-Semitic sentiment in Eastern Europe to take refuge in the political freedoms of America, as did so many other immigrants at this time. This begins the rags to riches story of Lauren, who is not a product of the traditional fashion and design schools as one would expect, but rather a college drop-out who began selling ties in New York under the brand name “Polo”. Lauren would gradually expand his label designs to include a full line of men and women’s wear that was tailored to the upscale market, but mass-produced and available at retail outlets nationally. Lauren made strategic alliances with Hollywood early in his career, even designing the costumes for movies, and later become an iconic symbol of Hollywood fashion, as well as the tailor to the Yuppie, Preppie, and upper class society from the 1980’s onward. This is symbolized by the “Polo shirt” which caught on as a trend related to the Izod and quickly became one of America’s most recognized brands. Ralph Lauren describes his name change not as an attempt to obscure his Jewish roots or hide his family identity, but rather as a way to integrate into society without the constant teasing associated with the name Lifshitz. This is understandable, but is the symbolic beginning of the brand that would later become a worldwide status symbol. It is nearly impossible to imagine that a “Ralph Lifshitz” line of clothing would inspire the same sentiment in the American public, for example, as the Ralph Lauren brand carries today, but name changes are common and easily accepted in the celebrity world, with this decision carrying no negative connotations but rather beginning the larger than life aspects of Lauren’s own career. That Lauren is able to change names at age 16 shows that he has a unique sense of the importance of public presentation, symbol, and the power of branding, all aspects that will define both his label and image historically. Lauren marries at age 25 and despite the high-flying environment of Hollywood, New York, and the high-fashion lifestyle he will symbolize, he stays married to his wife Ricki, and builds his fashion empire closely related to family values. This is important because the Ralph Lauren brand, Polo, and his design style all symbolize success more than any other value socially. His look and image, as illustrated in his designs being worn in Hollywood, Wall St., Washington, and other power centers, defined success in America stylistically. Yet, the inspiration for this was the traditional American values of the old West, and this thematic imagery characterizes the advertising for his clothing. As the biography itself suggests, the advertising mystique, brand identity, model beauty, and concentration of wealth represented by Ralph Lauren and Polo as cultural symbols are all created by the man through the empire and result in the attainment of “billionaire” status. This is the ultimate path of success in America, having all of the luxuries, and thus the biography of Ralph Lauren builds the image of the man in the image of his own advertising and brand. As such, the biography itself is not explicitly critical or over analytical of the issues but rather promoting the CEO of one of America’s greatest companies in an extended magazine format. The growth of Ralph Lauren’s business empire proceeded from a single flagship clothing store to thousands of retail outlets across the world, and billions of dollars in sales. That Ralph Lauren begins as the son of an immigrant selling ties and builds his business from a single store to global empire represents the book critically as another telling of the Horatio Alger myth, this one produced like an issue of GQ magazine. If one admires the rags-to-riches aspect of this story and is inspired to learn lessons from Ralph Lauren, it is because one shares this drive to attain the ultimate success in society, represented by extreme wealth, privilege, and luxury. This path is obviously not open to all, but most can afford Ralph Lauren clothing in some form and find it at nearly every mall in America. It is this aspect of popularity that is most open to deconstruction in the biography of Ralph Lauren and the corporate mythology of Polo. Lauren’s life reads in the biography as the life that many would love to experience, as it has all of the aspects of wealth, fine art, beauty, fine food, travel, and celebrity. In depicting it in photographs, his biographers present the Lauren family as the classic example of American life and success. Personally, I was impressed by the book and its production, as it did represent the quality of the Ralph Lauren brand and was produced as Lauren wanted himself to be known publicly and remembered historically. I approached the history and biography wanting to learn more about the man and the development of the business. Whether or not one likes Polo clothes, the gravitas inspired by Ralph Lauren’s business and social achievements is impressive. He has created one of the largest fashion names in the world, and is respected worldwide in both mainstream and high-fashion circles. His classic clothing designs stay iconic and fresh, despite their sense of constancy and classicism. Polo is also associated with the popular aspects of upward mobility in America and the world. The clothes may be too expensive but they are an aspect of conspicuous consumption and symbolize a certain social lifestyle. While each designer can be said to have their own individual style such as an artist or a musician, Ralph Lauren represents classicism in American design as it is popularized through attention to detail in tailoring and fabrics. My personal business interests are not related to building a billion dollar fashion empire, but I do hope to work frequently with branding elements as they relate to logos, icons, and corporate symbols in commercial design. I admire and often wear Ralph Lauren and Polo clothing personally, as I appreciate particularly the fabrics that the company uses in making their clothing, as well as the tailoring and fit. This is part of the allure and lasting value of Polo clothes. They age gracefully and maintain their integrity across many different uses and situations. They are accepted socially as equally appropriate for casual situations as well as formal, thus I find that Polo casual wear is suitable for both social and professional functions. While I do not overly concern myself with fashion or chase trends personally, I do appreciate good quality and design which is why I purchase Ralph Lauren clothing. In hoping to work in corporate magazine design and layout personally in the publishing industry, I find it important to study Lauren’s use of advertising and imagery as emblematic of commercial retail. The advertising style can be seen in Ralph Lauren’s biography just as in the style and fashion magazines that made him and his brand famous internationally. It can be expected that the man who uses his name, or chosen name, as his business brand would also seek to photograph himself wearing his own designs and in the same style of depiction as his label models. In the book, Ralph Lauren comes as the living image of his own brand and what he wants to be in life, with all aspects of it illustrating success. He has achieved it, the book states, and presents the reader with story of his legacy presented as biography. In reading the book, the details that impressed me the most about Ralph Lauren was the way that his business identity and personal identity were reflective of each other. This is symbolized in his clothing in the way that Polo symbolizes professionalism when worn casually and also when worn formally. However, it is problematic when one also considers that the clothes actually do not reflect the talent, or ability, or the skills of the wearer, but merely create the image or appearance of professionalism that can be purchased with sufficient wealth. Another aspect that bothered me about Ralph Lauren as he presented himself through his official biography and photographs was the relation of class identity to his fashion brand. Polo is traditionally a sport in which only the super-rich engage, or the elitist class, symbolized in some aspects by a relation to royalty. Thus it seems that Ralph Lauren incorporates the aura of nobility into his clothing, which sounds wonderful but has the arrogant aspects of aristocracy associated with it. That this must be false when the clothes themselves are bought at the mall or on eBay is obvious, but the way that Lauren creates the aura of royalty through his clothing line and their public perception is interesting. I believe there are certain aspects of American life that do seek to emulate the ancient traditions of royalty and aristocracy, but these aspects of elitism would be seemingly incompatible with the democratic aspect of American society. Thus, there is a type of duality or division between the aristocratic nature of Polo and its relation to wealth in the society, even if it is clearly illusory and based on advertising images. It is reinforced when celebrities wear his clothes to major events like the Oscars or the White House Inaugural Ball. That Polo and Ralph Lauren are also dominant names in high fashion with regard to celebrity wardrobes and politicians, worn equally by lawyers, bankers, and other professionals in society has established it as brand associated with wealth and privilege. Thus, the Polo image does seek to invoke the elitist aspects of American culture, which is related to the way that the “cool” is defined popularly. In America, it is indeed “cool” to be of the wealthy, privileged class of high-society as it relates to power, and to additionally be young, handsome, and driving a sportscar. The models for Polo and Ralph Lauren display all the symbols of luxury –yachts, mansions, cocktails, beautiful women, polo, and tennis – that are associated with wealth and power in America casually, aristocrats of New York in the classical aspects of the label’s style. Where Ralph Lauren’s elitism is not appealing to me personally, his ability to organize and manage a complex business operation impeccably is important in giving examples about what it takes to achieve success in America. I view Ralph Lauren through his own biography as a great American success story in the Horatio Alger model. The “playboy” aspect of Kennedy or FDR and the New York high-society ideal can be seen similarly in the James Bond movies of the 1960’s and 1970’s with international lifestyles filled with wealth, luxury, high fashion, style, and power. Ralph Lauren lives this type of lifestyle on the pages of his biography through the stories of his meetings with historical figures and Hollywood icons. Lauren collects cars like Bugattis and Porsches similar to Bond, and seems to model the Polo brand on the same aristocratic, British royal image that the Bond movies characterize in the modern era. By living this lifestyle himself at least symbolically through the stories and photographs of his biography, Ralph Lauren also transfers the playboy image to the men who wear his clothes, along with the aura of prestige, power, and wealth associated with royalty. This can be seen as an example of successful advertising and how symbols can be used to transfer meaning to otherwise mundane objects like jackets, shirts, and pants to create high profit margins for businesses. I do not view Ralph Lauren as an elitist villain particularly or an evil capitalist, but rather as a very successful businessman who has achieved the ultimate success in America, both in business and in society. Fashion is related to art but there are questions about mass-production and popular forms of trends that fade that can make one question if there is really any overriding meaning in the clothes themselves and if they are worth the price that they sell for in stores. Fashion is very important in modern America and is seen as a way that people express themselves popularly. With Polo, the person wears the clothes and brand because he or she shares the vision of Ralph Lauren as to what is stylish, cool, or professional. Practically, though, Polo makes so many different styles of clothing that everyone would be satisfied or be able to find something that they liked if given the chance. That some people fundamentally will not be able to afford Polo clothes may be part of their appeal. The high-fashion brands become objects of desire that cause people to suspend rationality in seeking them, but Lauren himself is never portrayed as seeking anything so much as already achieved it and resting on privilege. Reading Ralph Lauren’s biography encouraged me to have more self-confidence in my own abilities to define success on my own terms. While I am impressed with his business ability and brand, I am not interested in fashion as an ultimate pursuit in life or in even wasting a lot of money on it. I would like to study the way that Ralph Lauren built both his personal and business brand, however, as I believe it gives examples of what it takes to succeed in American life and also how Americans define success together. Many people may not agree with Ralph Lauren’s vision, or be interested in his fashion designs, but he will be remembered as one of the most popular and wealthy fashion designers of the 20th century. His advertisements have been placed in so many magazines that they will be studied for years for their cultural symbols. Thus, it is interesting to read Ralph Lauren’s biography as an aspect of American pop culture and fashion that may lead to larger insights about the country and social life. In studying trends, one can begin to decipher people’s motivations and what is most important to them in the life. I believe that Polo represents a symbol of success in America, and is based on an appropriation from the royal, aristocratic aspects of old New York society as they appeared in the Kennedy and FDR era and are retranslated into the Polo image through Lauren’s design teams. Importantly, the biography pictures Ralph Lauren not as a hands-on designer of clothing, avidly working with fashion models, but rather as a CEO and a leader who defines success in America. Lauren defines success through his biographical example, climbing from the humble seller of ties in New York to a billionaire with global name recognition. Wealth and fame define celebrity in modern American culture, and Lauren is also intimately associated with the fashion of the celebrities, politicians, and power brokers in the country. While it is tempting not to read too much into fashion and trends, they do seem to be symbolically representative of broader beliefs and movements in society. If a brand is as popular for as long of a time as Polo and sells as strongly internationally, then it must be reaching a note of accordance with consumer demand that provides satisfaction to what the masses want in malls, catalogs, or on the web. Hairstyles change, hemlines rise and fall, but Polo remains a fashion constant and always seems appropriate and professional, never out of style in any environment. This is one reason probably that I enjoy wearing clothing by Ralph Lauren in addition to its quality. Ralph Lauren represents an American success story of an entrepreneur and designer who defined professionalism for multiple generations - for the elites in Washington, Hollywood, and New York, as well as for the masses in the malls. His style appeals to young and old, male and female, rich and poor, as well as all races of people in America. Gang members love Polo for its Wall St. and upscale representation just as Yuppies loved it in the 80’s as a symbol of status. Polo nevertheless has an understated detail that can be seen in the fine quality of the fabrics, stitching, and tailoring that actually distinguishes it in quality from other brands. The cost of the clothing is actually excessive and priced just out of the range of comfort for most people by design. By creating the Polo image through advertising, Ralph Lauren can sell high-margin clothing to the mass market, popularizing the emblems of royalty and aristocracy in a democratic culture as symbols of wealth and power and what it is like to enjoy privilege in the society. This is consistent with the upwardly mobile social desire for success that permeates the corporate lifestyle and career path in many ways across America. Ralph Lauren inspires me to rethink the process of branding in media advertising, and inspires me to get involved with the advertising industry as a career. I am not interested in fashion as much as in the way the symbols of culture are transferred onto products through the subtle associations of the advertising image. Ralph Lauren’s official biography titled “The Man, the Vision, the Style” (2003), written by Colin McDowell, builds the mythology of the man as a portrait of the American dream and definition of success. Lauren deserves this by the degree of his accomplishments in business and fashion, though it is difficult at times to separate the advertising aspects of the biography itself from fact. Reinventing or renaming himself is important to the story of Ralph Lauren’s life, critical even to the awareness of the power of brand identity in influencing public perceptions. I disagree with the philosophy that image is everything as much as I reject the view that money is the ultimate motivator in society. Yet, I nevertheless respect Ralph Lauren and his Polo line of clothing for their representation of quality and professionalism in design, and see them as excellent examples of modern cultural influence. Sources Cited: McDowell, Colin. Ralph Lauren: The Man, The Vision, The Style. Rizzoli International Publications, 2003. Print. Read More