(3 of 12)
Lauren positions his clothing in a lucrative middle ground of consumer sensibility. He lures customers who think high-fashion styling is too faddish and traditional business garb is not quite sporty enough. His Polo purchasers are typically professionals and other upscalers who feel they have more important things to follow than fashion trends. Lauren loyalists sing of simple virtues: comfy elegance, durability, the avoidance of visual shock. They know they can depend on Lauren for a certain smart sameness, a look at once sporty and restrained. "No one understands his customer as truly as Ralph does," says Donna Karan, another leading U.S. designer. "He creates designs that match his philosophy, and he never loses his integrity." Says Grace Mirabella, editor in chief of Vogue: "The thing I admire most is that he stays so highly focused. He doesn't do one thing that is out of character, whether it is comforters or jackets or men's ties."
While Lauren pleases millions of consumers, he provokes no small amount of criticism from fashion purists of almost every stripe. Some devotees of hand-tailored menswear contend that his high-priced, British-inspired suits fall short of the originals in both quality and refinement. "Savile Pseud suits" is what Writer Tom Wolfe, a notably natty dresser, has called them. A few fashion mavens fault some of Lauren's designs for being too pastoral and sentimental, especially in comparison with Calvin Klein's sleek, urbane creations. The skeptics view Lauren's claims of "good taste" as a euphemism for yuppified conformity.
Perhaps against the arch curves of French Designer Claude Montana or the dramatic drapery of Japan's Issey Miyake, Lauren's work is stick-in-the-mud. But Lauren sticks to what he knows and has never claimed to be wildly original or abstract. Says a longtime fan, Actress Candice Bergen: "He incorporates the things you've loved for years. I'm basically not one who is comfortable in massive shoulder pads or the trendy things."
The most discomfiting fashion revelation for first-time Lauren buyers may be his lofty prices: $67.50 for basic oxford-cloth shirts, $130 for terry-cloth bathrobes and $338 for cashmere sweaters. One aim of that upscale pricing strategy is to maintain consumer prestige. Cagey shoppers can pick up Lauren's seconds and overstocks for 30% to 70% discounts at his factory-outlet stores, which are situated in such discreet locales as Appleton, Wis., and Tijuana.
Lauren's prime selling point is his image of patrician quality, which he polishes like the good silver. Even though most of his wares are manufactured by independent licensees, Lauren wants to maintain a distinct reputation for close attention to detail. He does so by lavishing time and care on his image- making advertisements, which spread the message of his design principles. As part of that studied approach, Lauren prefers lavish magazine spreads to television commercials, which he views as too fleeting to impart his message. "Ralph has some of the best advertising in the business because it sets a mood, it evokes a life-style," says an ad director for a major fashion magazine.