Bal Harbour

shows at the gardens at The Huntington in San Marino, California, and the sprawling Khalily Stables equestrian estate in Bridgehampton, New York, for example. How did that affect the clothes? BF: Not so much. Inherent to his vision is that clothes must function; that includes a glamorous gown as much as the ripped jeans. So he's never really given into the social-media frenzy of the runway-only item. While he has evolved his approach to the set, what's interesting is how he can still create a mood and imply narrative in a very spare space. Remember the shows that were at that Downtown [New York] photo gallery? He would announce the theme with a particular grand floral arrangement or a big chandelier with antlers. But he has at times gone over the top. He does it when it feels right, and he has something to say. Like the 50th anniversary in Central Park, Ralph's Coffee, the breakfast show at the women's store on Madison Avenue, that was wonderful. Ralph's Club in 2019—we were at that show together—with Janelle Monáe, the Art Deco cabaret; the show was great, the mood was fabulous, there was a hint of decadence that was fun. In retrospect, it was so prescient because one of the songs she sang was, "There may be trouble ahead, but while there's music and moonlight... let's face the music and dance." Then we all went home for two years. BM: That really was a night, with that incredibly gorgeous, old-Hollywood black- and-white collection riffing on tuxedos. But Ralph has given us a way of dressing that transcends any one collection, and to me that is the mark of a great designer: creating a style that's beyond fashion and is so recognizable. How does he achieve that consistency without getting stuck in the same place? BF: Ralph's imagery is probably the most recognizable of any designer working today, and it doesn't matter whether the mood is English country or Western, it's unmistakably Ralph Lauren. That is because it's through his vision that these are not whims or trends, these are all the ways different people want to live and dress. So they're grounded in that reality-aspiration balance. And it's also advancing those looks, the mood, the presentation, and the messaging to keep up with the times, that is very important. BM: There are also so many classic pieces associated with the brand, number one being the polo shirt, which he has iterated thousands of times, one of my favorite being the tie-dye. BF: One of my favorite manifestations was when he extended the classic polo shirt to a black sequined evening dress. Ralph had a vision for the polo shirt many years ago. He has this anecdote of having gone into a store for a Lacoste, one that would fade with age, and they only had four colors. He said, "Is this all you have?" Yes. "Will it fade?" No, this is the latest polyester. It wasn't what he wanted in a shirt; he wanted something that would show the wear and the love, and that was one of the triggers of him launching the polo shirt, which he did in 17 original colors. BM: I was looking back at all these wonderful pictures in the book and realizing just how much he influenced the way I dressed. All through high school, even if it wasn't his exact item that I could afford, it was preppy or Western. And then the denim bustle skirt and country floral jacket I wore for my wedding rehearsal dinner by a covered bridge. I was so influenced by the romance of his storytelling. BF: There are so many things that Ralph did just because he believed in them. Craft was important to Ralph very early on. There was the show with the sampler sweaters, and the one with the cottage quilt patchwork skirts. When he showed those in the 1970s, he took some heat from conservationists. But they were discarded and no longer of use as home items, and he repurposed them for skirts and jackets. This was perhaps one of the more impractical things he's ever done because when they were shipped, they were all unique, obviously, but there was a note suggesting that for repair, send [them] to this particular restorer in Massachusetts. So, it was very specific, but the point is that he recognized the value in repurposing and not throwing things away. He wanted his clothes to look better with time, and to be passed down for generations. The word sustainability was not even in the vernacular at the time. BM: That element of craft, now we see it in a thousand brands, but using the runway to elevate those forms of American folk art was really significant. BF: He also used the runway to elevate clothes for every day in a manner that was unprecedented, showing looks that were sporty and utilitarian—and high-function. That was him creating the modern lifestyle concept. There was one show in the '70s where he incorporated hunting, fishing, and lumberjack clothing, and there was that 1995 Polo Sport show where Bridget Moynahan rollerbladed down the runway. It was so much fun, but to me, that was really the idea of registering that everyday clothes are worthy of attention. BM: The American flag sweater is interesting to talk about because it was originally introduced in 1989, and Ralph himself wore it to take his runway bow at a very important moment, nine days after the September 11 attacks, during his Spring 2002 show in New York. BF: The flag sweater, when Ralph introduced it, may have seemed like a one-shot deal, but then it became a real symbol. That he has managed to continue selling the sweater through our political upheaval today, it speaks to his patriotism, but also his confidence in his belief system. He has shown it on the runway as recently as Bridgehampton [Spring 2025], and it's come in all different manifestations. BM: It's also a signal to the world about the power of American fashion, which has not always been held in the highest regard. Nearly every young designer I've ever interviewed all say they want to be like Ralph Lauren. BF: It's not only the younger ones. I remember Karl Lagerfeld said, "Oh, he should run for president." You know what, Karl? Maybe you were right. He sets the bar. BM: In editing this book, looking back over all the runway shows, do you feel like there were turning points? BF: Fall 1974 was the first time he introduced the Western concept to women's wear as part of the collection (and later went big with it in 1978). WWD published three or four pictures that were very British equestrian–inspired, with full skirts and all. Then there's this throwaway line in the overall positive review that referred to those looks as "bizarre at best." I love that so much because we've all made the wrong call on things. That word bizarre could have made some designers never go near that theme again. Ralph runs back to it, and look where it's gone. BM: It's doubtful whether we would all be wearing cowboy boots as everyday footwear if he hadn't elevated that look. BF: And way back in the '70s or maybe earlier, Ralph put sneakers on his runway. That's not to say he also didn't have a stiletto. But again, it's lifestyle, clothes for the way we live, and we don't live in stilettos. Another key show was Spring 2001, because when we talk about lifestyle, yes, it's a commercial concept, but part of the way we live is dealing with challenges. And health is at the top of that list. For the finale, the models came out redressed in black t-shirts with a pink pony on them, announcing the Pink Pony Campaign that's now raised millions for breast cancer research. Ralph had supported cancer research before, but it was the first time the polo player had ever been used in a philanthropic way, and it was powerful. BM: What are your favorite memories? I have many from the 50th—being on the trolley with Ken Burns going into Central Park, shaking hands with Hillary Clinton during cocktails. BF: I loved the Janelle Monáe moment where she's going barefoot on the tables. And the 9/11 show was so moving, it was one of those kismet moments where the collection had been designed long before, and yet it seemed so right for the moment, a combination of gentility and grit. And then the Bridgehampton show. I loved the clothes—there was that gorgeous ombre blue dress, the child in the flag sweater—and yet it wasn't about the clothes; it was about family and inclusion and happiness and spending time together. We closed the book with that show about the entirety of the world and all the casualness Ralph Lauren represents, then 180 degrees within the Ralph Lauren sphere to Fall 2025, an intimate show at the Jack Shainman gallery in Tribeca that was hyper-focused on the clothes and the craft. It reflects some of our overarching themes, the contrast of masculine/feminine, rugged and refined. I love that we close on those two shows that were so different, each one consummately Ralph Lauren, and both really, really good. is the mark of a great designer: run for president." You know what, "One of his greatest contributions to fashion is that newer is not always better. There is value in age, in something that has been loved and showing signs of that love." —BR IDGET FOLEY BALHAR B O U RSH O P S .CO M

• Cover