Ralph Lauren - clothes and more

The faded mahogany interior epitomises the Fall 2009 collection of cosy tweed and homely velvet in warm ivories and beiges but I can’t help but speculate whether a Spring/Summer collection would look right in such a warm and comforting environment as this store, would a collection ever be able to look fresh and striking and summery when next to antlers and traditional fireplaces? Therein lies the concept of Ralph Lauren that season after season the style slightly changes but the consistency of traditional country style always remains and therefore the collection always compliments the store with only the need to modify temporary decorations.
Clothes are displayed in a way that leads the eye, with items that will create a great outfit placed together. I also loved the way that certain garments were hung on the wooden walls on hangers as though you were in a walk in wardrobe and you had selected some items from the rails to wear. The hangers were made of thick wood and were strong and sturdy to give structure to garments so that they did not just fall limp on the hanger. I saw the most beautiful patchwork effect beige wool tweed jacket costing £725 which seemed utterly worth it. A typical polo shirt cost upwards of £80, shoes and boots from £200 to £800 and dresses up to £2000 for an evening gown.
There were no more than 3-4 items of each design and in some cases just two and looking at the sizes I found an English size 8 to 14, which at first I took by surprise naively always believing designer meant very small sizes but then I remembered the market they would be catering for and older generations tend to be slightly larger than the average designer consumer. I felt that on seeing the new rugby line it would be a particular success because the look transcends style across generations and I can see both a younger and older customer buying the same shirt or jumper. This brings me to traditional tartan which is a trend that appears every winter effortlessly, Ralph Lauren incorporated this in their luxurious wool and cashmere scarves that stood next to Christmas print jumpers. Bright plain jumpers and shirts were also arranged in a more orderly fashion than the collection that appeared on the catwalk and I could in my mind I see then on elite horse riders and polo players.