July 18, 2011, - 11:16 am
Polo Jumps the Shark: The Supermodel Ralph Lauren Never Wanted
Designer Ralph Lauren has worked for decades to create a brand that middle-and-lower-class Americans bought because they were into the aspirations of upper-class and Western swashbuckling living he sold with the brand. It wasn’t just the iconic polo-playing mascot that was the logo and insignia on his famous polo shirts. It was the lifestyle of wealthy socialites and rugged, handsome American men wearing leather chaps, cowboy hats, and Marlboro man shearling jackets in Western settings, such as a Montana ranch. Lauren even changed his name from the Jewish Ralph Lifshitz to the faux-patrician Ralph Lauren and discarded his days as a Yeshiva (Orthodox Jewish Torah academy) boy at both the Salanter Academy Jewish Day School and MTA (the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy), marrying a blonde gentile with classic American looks. While Lauren is a multi-millionaire who long ago laughed all the way to the bank, Polo lost most of its cache as every skanky Britney, Tiffany, and Shaniqua already wore out the underarm holes of their polo shirts.
And, now, there’s a definite sign that Polo is over and has jumped the shark. Ralph Lauren just got a new supermodel he never asked for. Announcing . . .
American Murderess by Ralph Lauren. Daughters are Dying for Their Mommies to Wear It . . .
Polo by Ralph Lauren, Official Clothing Sponsor of the Casey Anthony Getting Away w/ Murder Prison Exit
Ralph Lauren is not responsible for who buys his products. (I happen to have two Ralph Lauren shirts.)Should the photographers have told Casey Anthony to put on a generic brand shirt for her prison release photo?
Miranda Rose Smith on July 18, 2011 at 11:45 am