Sartorial Soulmate

Allow me a brief detour from the usual, dear readers, so that I might indulge in a shameless plug for my Sartorial Soulmate. What is a Sartorial Soulmate? Well, for me, it's the designer against who I judge all others; a man for whom classic American style is an adjective, not a noun; the person who embodies living life joyously and fashionably. Oh, and we share the same birthday. And both of us are hitting major birthday milestones this year.

I'm speaking, of course, about Ralph Lauren. Say what you will about the omnipresent polo pony embroidery (overkill, for sure), but this man knows how to dress, and knows how to dress others. I mean, look at him! Classicly cool in denim at the end of a S/S10 runway show that featured the sublime shimmery confections on either side (those are overall straps on the right one, natch) and a the evocation of 20's and 30's glamour with a strong nod to menswear-inspired tailoring.

Why else do I love Ralph so much? Let's go down the list:

• Range of sizes from 0P to 22W for the gals and Big & Tall for the guys
• Range of price points from JC Penney's "American Living" line to Rugby to RRL to the Black Label Collection
• Range of body types and colors in his advertisements and runway shows (I heart Chanel Iman, btw. She's shown twice below!)
• Knowing what REAL people want in their clothing: Argentine polo player Nacho Figueras is the latest in a long line of beautiful people to sport the iconic Pony Shirt

So yeah, I have a major fashion crush on Ralph and his empire, but who can blame me?

Let me be the first to say Happy Early 70th Birthday to Ralph Rueben Lifshitz (yes, that's his real name). You don't look a day over 60! Thanks for the memories and I hope you keep designing for another decade. I can only hope I'll look that good in 40 years...