Never mind the friggin' jacket!
I want a pair of Ralph Lauren table lamps! But at $1050 MRSP for each one and then import taxes into our crashing ££, I'm not going to have enough left to plug it into the electrics.
Don't get me started on Ralph Lauren. To me he is the worst kind of hypocrite. His entire brand is based on the 'Good Ol' US of A' and yet 99% of it is made in China or elsewhere. And don't tell me that 'Well, his overseas workers are treated fairly'. [Bartender edit:expletive deleted] He is exploiting them for every penny he can get.
If you are going to wave the Stars and Stripes as much as he does then put your effing money where your mouth is and support American workers! Even the U.S. Olympic team uniforms he designed were made in China!!!!
To me, part of quality is the design process—that is, the artists who create the collections. It's simply too cost-prohibitive to produce hundreds of pieces per season here in the US.
I buy most of my RL on eBay or at the annual sale. And being close to a flagship store is nice as the experience is fun and their customer service is top notch. Purple Label has definitely gone downhill and prices have gone up on all the lines. I still really like their outerwear and sweaters at a deep discount. But it helps to see things in person and figure out what you want. There are pieces that are definitely more impressive in person than online and vice versa.
RRL NEVER uses horshide, it's company policy, due to respect for animal welfare (probably the killing of horses is not as regulated and common practice as for bovines so iit's hard to take it as a by product of the "meat" industry". They use Italian veg tanned calfskin or cow or goat. The craftsmanship is good, very meticulous, but that's the surface top stitch you can see, not sure how the jacket is constructed underneath. What they are excellent for is the material, repro hardware, repro fabric and nice leather. But, the leather still is on the fashion side, they should start buying from Horween, then everything will be better....except one, the mark up and exploitation of the Chinese labor.Not bad as a jacket but definitely not worth the price. What kind of leather is it?
RRL NEVER uses horshide, it's company policy, due to respect for animal welfare (probably the killing of horses is not as regulated and common practice as for bovines so iit's hard to take it as a by product of the "meat" industry".
right right, and that says something about their adherence to the "animal welfare" thing, the politics of business arrangement....RL does offer shoes in shell cordovan. Those shoes are made by Crockett & Jones, but sold by RL.