Ralph Lauren / Polo

[Urban Shocker]

Mustapha, you old rogue, I see you wear single cuffs with links! How can you forego the delight of turning back the cuff, and sliding the link through a double thickness of cloth? It's one of the great sensual delights of formal dressing. And formal undressing.

Speak to your man sharply next time. Tell him never to do that again.

 

[Mustapha]

Mustapha, you old rogue, I see you wear single cuffs with links! How can you forego the delight of turning back the cuff, and sliding the link through a double thickness of cloth? It's one of the great sensual delights of formal dressing. And formal undressing.

Speak to your man sharply next time. Tell him never to do that again.

Urban Shocker,

Well, it's like this. French cuffs would attract attention in the office.

-Moose

 

[Mustapha]

Club Monaco started increasing their price points when they got bought by Polo Ralph Lauren. I'm happy that U of T is finally reclaiming that building in which Club Monaco was located. It's a great looking building.

I'm 26, and I like A&F. I like the smell of their store (I've seen employees spraying the store with cologne). Most of the times I've walked by, they haven't had a shirtless boy. I think I've only seen them once or twice. I remember the last time I saw one he looked really shy and uncomfortable (and possibly exploited) but maybe I was just reading into it too much. He was cute though.

A&F's stuff is much cheaper in the states. I have a pair of A&F jeans I'm wearing right now which I really like. I like their polos, but after washing I find the collars irritate my neck. I'm not sure why that is. I've had dress shirts that have irritated my neck before, but not polos.

Did I read correctly that A&F used to have a store in FCP a long time ago? I thought A&F had never expanded outside of the USA prior to coming to Eaton Centre and Sherway a few years back.

The A&F FCP location was on the ground floor at the corner of York and Wellington? Richmond? Anyways the southeast corner of York and whatever that street is. They weren't there long. 1988-ish for a couple of years.

 

[freshcutgrass]

If I remember correctly, the A&F store was 2 floors, with the street level portion about where Starbucks is now.

Bespoke dress shirts are a great idea, as few people match the neck/sleeve/chest measurements off the rack. It's also refreshing to not be a label hound.

I don't have much need for them these days, and still have a collection of not half-bad two-ply Baldessarini shirts from a stint working at Hugo Boss for a few years back in the late 90's.

I'm happy that U of T is finally reclaiming that building in which Club Monaco was located. It's a great looking building.

Yea...I suppose. But I really think it makes for a really nice western anchor for the Bloor Strip. Just because of specifically where it is, I think it would serve its location best as a top rate retail flagship.

 

[Dan416]

If I remember correctly, the A&F store was 2 floors, with the street level portion about where Starbucks is now.

Bespoke dress shirts are a great idea, as few people match the neck/sleeve/chest measurements off the rack. It's also refreshing to not be a label hound.

I don't have much need for them these days, and still have a collection of not half-bad two-ply Baldessarini shirts from a stint working at Hugo Boss for a few years back in the late 90's.





Yea...I suppose. But I really think it makes for a really nice western anchor for the Bloor Strip. Just because of specifically where it is, I think it would serve its location best as a top rate retail flagship.

Retail can be anywhere. UTStG is only in one place.

 

[freshcutgrass]

Retail can be anywhere.

But I'm not talking about any retail...prime Bloor only runs from Yonge to Ave Rd. Shame to waste such a enviable location and building when it's at such a premium.

 

[vancouverguy_76]

The A&F FCP location was on the ground floor at the corner of York and Wellington? Richmond? Anyways the southeast corner of York and whatever that street is. They weren't there long. 1988-ish for a couple of years.

Interestingly enough, A&F Canada was owned by Woodward's, a Western Canadian department store. When the Bay bought out Woodward's in the early 90's, it closed A&F Canada's four stores (Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal). A&F's flagship location was an anchor to Vancouver's Oakridge Centre...I remember visiting it in my early teens.

 

[Mustapha]

Interestingly enough, A&F Canada was owned by Woodward's, a Western Canadian department store. When the Bay bought out Woodward's in the early 90's, it closed A&F Canada's four stores (Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal). A&F's flagship location was an anchor to Vancouver's Oakridge Centre...I remember visiting it in my early teens.

Had no idea that was the case thanks. The present incarnation of A&F is public and widely held. It was part of The Limited (Victoria's Secret, Express), but spun off. They are headquartered in decidedly unfashionable Columbus OH as that's where the Chairman lives. I have an interest in the way things go at A&F because my eldest works there as a designer. The company siphons up talent from Ryerson and St. Martins (London), and these young designers work in the USA on professional designation work permits.

 

[Urban Shocker]

I don't think I've ever been inside an A&F. There was a great local label called Parachute in the early '80s - they had a store on Bellair. My partner had a head-turning electric blue winter coat designed by them.

Ralph Lauren's the Robert A.M. Stern of clothes retailing.

 

[freshcutgrass]

There was a great local label called Parachute in the early '80s - they had a store on Bellair. My partner had a head-turning electric blue winter coat designed by them.

Oh, I remember that store...I think it was where Uncle Otis is now?

Very...early Grace Jones/New Wave.

Ralph Lauren's the Robert A.M. Stern of clothes retailing.

One poor jewish boy who yearned to recreate the Edwardian, WASPY aristocratic lifestyle...and plenty of people were willing to come along for the ride.

 

[Mustapha]

One poor jewish boy who yearned to recreate the Edwardian, WASPY aristocratic lifestyle...and plenty of people were willing to come along for the ride.

I came across the word 'mass-tige' in an article about Godiva chocolates. That would aptly apply to Polo/Lauren too I think.

 

[freshcutgrass]

I came across the word 'mass-tige' in an article about Godiva chocolates. That would aptly apply to Polo/Lauren too I think.

Yea, I agree...but Ralph manages to keep riding both sides of the fence...his high end stuff manages to keep the interest of that crowd, and can actually be quite good design and quality. The mass-market stuff is what seems to ride waves of popularity with the general public.

It's a tricky game though...you can easily damage your legit high-end image that way...but the up-side is you can make a ton of money off the masses.

Look at Tommy Hilfiger...he had a nice niche early on with ok quality stuff ala RL/A&F rowd. Then the "urban" crowd adopted it, and he totally catered to them and made a ton of money. Good for him, but that crowd is fickle and moved on, and he found himself without a fan club.

This sort of "masstige" can be traced back to Cartier in the 70's with their "Must de Cartier" line.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Mustapha: I see that the Vienna Dorotheum has a nice little pair of Joseph Hoffmann cufflinks, designed for the Wiener Werkstatte in 1906, listed in their contemporary art auction on May 27th. They're gilded silver, set with a large opal and small coral cabochons. Quite pretty really. They'd make a nice change from my usual look. Estimate: 50 to 70,000 Euros.

Could you, would you?

 

[Mustapha]

Mustapha: I see that the Vienna Dorotheum has a nice little pair of Joseph Hoffmann cufflinks, designed for the Wiener Werkstatte in 1906, listed in their contemporary art auction on May 27th. They're gilded silver, set with a large opal and small coral cabochons. Quite pretty really. They'd make a nice change from my usual look. Estimate: 50 to 70,000 Euros.

Could you, would you?

Urban Shocker,

I went to try to have a look but my German isn't up to navigating the website. The design sounds wonderful and playful on the eyes, but I can't rise to the price. I do have a humble cufflink collection; much of it from our local McTamneys (ask for the $25 tray; it's in the window), and some of it from the Sunday market at St. Lawrence. The permanent stall in the SOUTH market (a European gent runs it) sold me a vintage pair of milky amber. I need not remind you that much of the vendor cufflink selection at St. Lawrence on Sundays is 60s crappola.

This is also not a 'usual look'. One of my cocktail cuffs. Turnbull & Asser created this in the 60's for James Bond. Also from my maker on Sherbourne street.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Shagadelic, baby!