Polo (Mis)Match

I was lucky enough to spend last night at a lovely shindig at the Ralph Lauren flagship on Bond Street. The party aside, I spent a lot of time perusing the new collections and was surprised at some of the things I saw.

The above style jacket, large lapels, drape cut, etc. was something I knew was coming back to Ralph’s oeuvre, but seeing them in person was a bit of a shock. They are just as exaggerated as they look on camera and yet I think they would work beautifully for most men. Broad in the shoulders, soft in contour, and flawless in construction, these jackets looked even nicer than I had hoped.

Now, at the other end of the style spectrum, there was a three piece peak labeled number in a gaudy glen-plaid that looked out of place amongst the equestrian photographs and green walls. Don’t get me wrong, it looked great, but it looked like Mr. Ford, not Mr. Lauren. It’s funny how the turning up of the lapels can make such a difference, but if the jacket had been notched I would have thought nothing of it. I don’t know if this means Tom Ford has conquered the peak lapel, or if Ralph Lauren has shied away from it for too long, but gentlemen, in this case I will say stick to what you’re good at. You’re really good at it.