If there s one takeaway from Ralph Lauren s Pre-Fall/Fall/holiday spectacular, it was the eveningwear boilersuit—a genius and chic fusion of opposing values. And so it was with America s godfather of menswear. Walking the halls of his Madison Avenue office/showrooms—retrofitted to feel more like the interior of an elegant mansion—one was constantly confronted by juxtapositions: luxury and sport, tailored and disheveled, heritage and modern. A croc leather café racer dared any motorcyclist brave (and wealthy) enough to wear it on the highway. A three-piece suit in rich black glove leather, perhaps for that same motorcyclist s wedding, was equally decadent. Purple Label tailoring was immaculately timeless—the uniform of a Wall Street power broker (if there are any still around willing to own the title) or a turn-of-the-century gangster. A hooded suede tracksuit, cashmere lined, could have been a strong alternative to Kanye s Grammys-performance velour. Polo Sport made its return. Mixed in with the super-tech, luxury-sport hybrid RLX line, the team sports-inspired kits looked authentic enough for Lauren s most jockish patrons. Polo, now a coed consideration, did what it does best: conjured youth, sex, and money like no other brand. A denim trucker was overprinted with camo; double-breasted overcoats in navy and herringbone were equally fitting over jeans or a suit. The classic oxford shirt was reimagined in Polo s famous piqué cotton. The girls and boys lounged together in their complementary rugged outdoors-meets-urban sophisticate ensembles—a Bruce Weber shoot come to life.
