Ralph Lauren

Fashion fails the m-test

January 16, 2012 2:52 pm by Vanessa Friedman

For an industry with its own calendar, that runs on a time six months to a year or more ahead of the norm, fashion in general has proven idiotically obtuse about technology. After being famously late to the etail and social media party, and then engaging in a headlong rush to the virtual when it was clear where consumer tides were going, now they are once again dragging their feet when it comes to mobile applications, as a new study from digital think tank L2 shows.
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Posted in Fashion, Internet, Luxury goods |

The Duchess of Cambridge: surprise fashion subversive

December 22, 2011 3:14 pm by Vanessa Friedman

Anyone else notice anything surprising about the Duchess of Cambridge’s appearance yesterday at a homeless shelter in a 350 GBP Ralph Lauren polo-neck dress? Let me repeat that: a GBP350 RALPH LAUREN polo neck dress. Ralph Lauren? An American designer on the Princess-to-be? Shocking!

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Posted in Fashion, Politics, Womenswear |

Ralph Lauren unplugged

October 25, 2011 4:04 pm by Vanessa Friedman

Last night Ralph Lauren was on stage at Alice Tully Hall being interviewed/memorialised for posterity by Oprah Winfrey. The nominal reason was a benefit event for Lincoln Center and the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention, and the great and the good attended: Larry Gagosian, Bruce Weber, Jill Ambramson, Barbara Walters, and so on. The thing that really made the evening for me, however, were two comments buried in the interview. They reveal quite a lot not just about Mr Lauren, but fashion in general.

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Posted in Fashion, Womenswear |

Michelle Obama embraces the establishment

May 26, 2011 4:00 pm by Vanessa Friedman

Very interesting comment from a reader yesterday, noting that as Michelle Obama has become more established in her role, she has adopted more establishment designers. Read more

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Posted in Fashion, Politics, Womenswear |

Ralph Lauren’s secret diplomatic career

May 19, 2011 5:16 pm by Vanessa Friedman

In the rapt-making interview that was yesterday’s Oprah-meets-Ralph-Lauren-in-Telluride show one admission stood out a mile: Mr Lauren’s sense that he is “an assistant to Obama.”
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Posted in Fashion, Hollywood, Politics |

The Middleton effect on McQueen

April 28, 2011 5:07 pm by Vanessa Friedman

Royal Wedding Day minus 1 and slowly the sartorial chips are falling into place. Read more

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Posted in Fashion, Financial results, Royal wedding, Womenswear |

Old media starts catfighting by the catwalks

February 10, 2011 6:29 pm by Vanessa Friedman

Forget all that stuff about old media fashion editors being threatened by the presence of bloggers in various fashion show front rows – that was SO last season. This season, as New York fashion week kicks off (whoopee!!! ), it’s all about old media taking on old media. Read more

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Posted in Fashion, Shows |

Michael Bloomberg (hearts) Ralph Lauren

October 15, 2010 4:45 pm by Vanessa Friedman

Mayor Bloomberg’s love affair with fashion (and what it can bring to the local economy) continues apace. After cutting the ribbon on the Armani flagship store on Fifth Avenue, celebrating Burberry’s new store on Madison, and opening New York Fashion Week’s new home at Lincoln Centre, the Mayor has turned his affection to Ralph Lauren, who was awarded the key to New York City last night during a celebratory cocktail at the new RL womens’ flagship on Madison Avenue.

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Posted in Fashion, Finance, Luxury goods, Politics, Ready-to-wear, Womenswear |

The bottom line on luxury’s low digital IQ

October 12, 2010 7:06 pm by Vanessa Friedman

It never rains but it pours (and in Brooklyn, where I live, it just hailed). After the Gap on-line logo hoo-ha at the end of last week comes a report from the Stern business school at New York University and the think tank L2 entitled “Digital IQ Index: Luxury,” looking at how 72 luxury brands are handling themselves on-line, on their websites, social media, digital marketing and mobile apps. Guess what? They’re stuck in the mud!

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Posted in Fashion, Internet, Luxury goods, Marketing |

Bain gets shopping

September 14, 2010 1:04 pm by Vanessa Friedman

This morning Bain & Company released a study, in conjunction with American Vogue, on the shopping habits of the “style-conscious” US consumer.  Read more

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Posted in Fashion, Luxury goods, Ready-to-wear, Womenswear |
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