**The Official Ralph Lauren Polo Thread**

[natburna]

IMO The Lotus Series was the hardest and best that Tommy could do. Everything else out he put was chasing other designer coat tails. Not gonna front on his early B-down patterns and colorways. The vertical stripe patterns was on point.

Out the blue question. Was anyone around that went to the 92 Jones Beach GreekFest??

 

[natburna]

Not ralphie but  But remember Tommy used to be a designer for him lol

Not for nothing but you just put a tiny drop of blood in the piranha tank. We're going crazy right now LOL.

 

[jayrockslo]

Polo, Hilfiger, Nautica went hand in hand back then.

The difference is that there is barely any type of cult following of Hilfiger and Nautica as compared to Polo.

I know there are many memorable items from Hilfiger and Nautica, and I know a few dudes who still hold vintage Hilfiger.

 

[thecldriver]

FALSE. where do you get your info from?

Tommy Hilfiger NEVER designed for Ralph Lauren. They were competitors.

There's more to this that I won't elaborate on, since everything is hearsay, although there is evidence of similarities. If you were there when both of these labels were a trend then you will know what I'm talking about. BIP and I have discussed this.

FALSE. where do you get your info from?

Tommy Hilfiger NEVER designed for Ralph Lauren. They were competitors.

There's more to this that I won't elaborate on, since everything is hearsay, although there is evidence of similarities. If you were there when both of these labels were a trend then you will know what I'm talking about. BIP and I have discussed this.

FALSE. where do you get your info from?



There's more to this that I won't elaborateon, since everything is hearsay, although there is evidence of similarities. If you were there when both of these labels were a trend then you will know what I'm talking about. BIP and I have discussed this.

I was told that long ago from a good friend. I was younger during Lo's golden era, so my knowledge is enh. But I'm here now jay rocks lo , so make room for me scrap and I just may blow my cash that I make on a pricey vintage piece that I couldn't afford way back when. Problem? I know dude so it's all love lol

 

[rrlegend]

 

[pmiddy]

Hilfiger made a good attempt to de-throne Polo in the early 90's...but it never did.
It's funny cuz when Hilfiger came out all the trendy band wagoners jump ship to Hilfiger or whatever was popping at the time. The culture for Polo actually grew stronger, but still only few people really stayed with Ralph Lauren.

 

[All Ready]

when I was in early grade school 4th thru 10th grade hilfiger was way more popular and talked about

especially the windbreaker jackets

all the way up til the rumors of tommy being racist

I wore both religiously along with nautica

 

[rrlegend]

Nautica fleeces and windbreakers were on point.

I wanted a pair of these so bad

 

[jayrockslo]

I was told that long ago from a good friend. I was younger during Lo's golden era, so my knowledge is enh. But I'm here now jay rocks lo , so make room for me scrap and I just may blow my cash that I make on a pricey vintage piece that I couldn't afford way back when. Problem? I know dude so it's all love lol

well, your good friend told you wrong.

if your knowledge is "ehh", then why are you spreading false knowledge. see, that's the problem.

what does being "here now" mean? 22 years later to buy a shirt that is stamped with the year 1992?

go and blow your cash on whatever you want. you spending big money on old clothes doesn't affect me in any way.

 

[thecldriver]

well, your good friend told you wrong.


if your knowledge is "ehh", then why are you spreading false knowledge. see, that's the problem.

what does being "here now" mean? 22 years later to buy a shirt that is stamped with the year 1992?

go and blow your cash on whatever you want. you spending big money on old clothes doesn't affect me in any way.

 

[pmiddy]

......

 

[skinneyhardaway]

Ok guys let's have cooler heads prevail here, even though it is entertaining. On another note I've noticed that John "Pops" Witherspoon is a bit of a fan of Ralph. Here he is with Mac Miller rocking the plaid fireman's jacket.

 

[SlunderKingpin]

A man of many hats...

 

[bip roberts]

IMO The Lotus Series was the hardest and best that Tommy could do. Everything else out he put was chasing other designer coat tails. Not gonna front on his early B-down patterns and colorways. The vertical stripe patterns was on point.

Out the blue question. Was anyone around that went to the 92 Jones Beach GreekFest??

The Lotus line gets all the props, but I think there are some other underappreciated Tommy lines. Here are a few of my favorites:

- The Outdoors/Surplus line: this was obviously his take on the Sportsman lane, but the designs themselves weren't really derivative
- The 1996 International Games line - This was basically his take on Stadium and has its share of derivative pieces, some of which were inspired by RL pieces NOT in the Stadium line
- The Motorcycle Line (early days) - lots of classic colorblocking designs that liberally used patches
- I'll give a nod to the sailing line, but I don't love it as much as others do. Many will rank this line second, behind the Lotus, but I think there was a lot of filler in the line to go along with the killer.

Hifliger's downfall, other than the rumors of racism (which he largely survived), was when he started chasing the "urban" demographic instead of just doing his thing and letting them fall into it organically. Most companies that establish cult followings outside of their initial target demo screw up massively when they then start catering to those markets. This is the heart of Nike's problem - though it has been great for their bottom line. It didn't work that way for Tommy. The brand tried to launch more urban sub-brands (Tommy Jeans), mass market itself, and make its clothes more accessible, all while tipping the design balance toward what it thought the urban consumer wanted. ...Didn't work.

Hilfiger made a good attempt to de-throne Polo in the early 90's...but it never did.
It's funny cuz when Hilfiger came out all the trendy band wagoners jump ship to Hilfiger or whatever was popping at the time. The culture for Polo actually grew stronger, but still only few people really stayed with Ralph Lauren.

when I was in early grade school 4th thru 10th grade hilfiger was way more popular and talked about

especially the windbreaker jackets

all the way up til the rumors of tommy being racist

I wore both religiously along with nautica

The rumors around him being racist are unfounded, but are actually a good example of that pesky phenomenon you often see in political ads, etc., when debunking a myth actually does more to solidify it than it does to counter it. The more people offered proof that it was false, the more people believed it was true.

I forgot Ralph left you in charge. Sorta like the keeper of the lo. I'm sorry. I can buy old clothes new clothes. Whatever I want. Can prolly hire you to do my taxes. Your an accountant right? lol you're taking this message board stuff too far.

I'm not going to cape for Jay. He's my dude in real life, but he can certainly defend himself here. But, of what relevance is what he does for a living?

 

[thecldriver]

The Lotus line gets all the props, but I think there are some other underappreciated Tommy lines. Here are a few of my favorites:

- The Outdoors/Surplus line: this was obviously his take on the Sportsman lane, but the designs themselves weren't really derivative
- The 1996 International Games line - This was basically his take on Stadium and has its share of derivative pieces, some of which were inspired by RL pieces NOT in the Stadium line
- The Motorcycle Line (early days) - lots of classic colorblocking designs that liberally used patches
- I'll give a nod to the sailing line, but I don't love it as much as others do. Many will rank this line second, behind the Lotus, but I think there was a lot of filler in the line to go along with the killer.

Hifliger's downfall, other than the rumors of racism (which he largely survived), was when he started chasing the "urban" demographic instead of just doing his thing and letting them fall into it organically. Most companies that establish cult followings outside of their initial target demo screw up massively when they then start catering to those markets. This is the heart of Nike's problem - though it has been great for their bottom line. It didn't work that way for Tommy. The brand tried to launch more urban sub-brands (Tommy Jeans), mass market itself, and make its clothes more accessible, all while tipping the design balance toward what it thought the urban consumer wanted. ...Didn't work.

The rumors around him being racist are unfounded, but are actually a good example of that pesky phenomenon you often see in political ads, etc., when debunking a myth actually does more to solidify it than it does to counter it. The more people offered proof that it was false, the more people believed it was true.
I'm not going to cape for Jay. He's my dude in real life, but he can certainly defend himself here. But, of what relevance is what he does for a living?

You're right BIP. He needs to learn how to talk to people. It's not what you say but how you say it.

 

[natburna]

My wife watches the new Ophra and she had Tommy on the show. The very, very first question she asked him was, "Lets clear this up now, are you a racist?" He said hell no. He said that the rumor hurt the business and he has no clue where it came from. He tried to clean it up as much as he could. I bet the rumor started in the hood and spread out to like Macy's on 34th or Bloomingdale's within the employees catching wind then spreading it upstairs... Or something like that.....

 

[shogun]

Crazy how that rumor spread without any proof and people just believed it. People said he made those comments on Oprah but he was never on her show. I remember in a thread last year people still believed it was true. You guys think if a similar rumor was spread around the same time about Ralph Lauren that it would've had a negative affect on the brand? Was the rumor even the main reason hilfiger lost popularity or was it something else? I remember people loving the brand in middle school then not much love in high school.

 

[gatorbeltsnpattiemelts]

Crazy how that rumor spread without any proof and people just believed it. People said he made those comments on Oprah but he was never on her show. I remember in a thread last year people still believed it was true. You guys think if a similar rumor was spread around the same time about Ralph Lauren that it would've had a negative affect on the brand? Was the rumor even the main reason hilfiger lost popularity or was it something else? I remember people loving the brand in middle school then not much love in high school.

Man I DEF think the rumor is why he fell off---I mean all the rappers etc. stopped supporting him.


I never could afford it anyway I had like two articles of Tommy clothing and one was a hand me down from my cousin.

 

[marco23]

A man of many hats...

Those buckets

 

[All Ready]

My wife watches the new Ophra and she had Tommy on the show. The very, very first question she asked him was, "Lets clear this up now, are you a racist?" He said hell no. He said that the rumor hurt the business and he has no clue where it came from. He tried to clean it up as much as he could. I bet the rumor started in the hood and spread out to like Macy's on 34th or Bloomingdale's within the employees catching wind then spreading it upstairs... Or something like that.....

that's what I was saying

cats would get tried and beat up for wearing tommy after the rumors

alotta cats couldn't wear it even if they wanted to

for a long time you couldn't be black and wear hilfiger, atleast not the area I grew up in

 

[jayrockslo]

I forgot Ralph left you in charge. Sorta like the keeper of the lo. I'm sorry. I can buy old clothes new clothes. Whatever I want. Can prolly hire you to do my taxes. Your an accountant right? lol you're taking this message board stuff too far.

What happened last night, before you edited your posts cuz i laughed then went to sleep after i read when you were talking greasy on the internet, what was it that you said? "feeling froggy, jump" or "i'm not like these dudes" or "I'll put you in your place" or telling me to leave this thread because I complain too much, or talk about VGA was better blah blah blah So you felt the need to threaten me because I corrected you and asked where your source is from because you said Tommy Hilfiger designed for Ralph Lauren, but I said otherwise?

lol you're taking this message board stuff too far.

how ironic

thanks for revealing my job so to confirm, yes, I am an accountant. I'm not for hire to do taxes though but you want to air out something personal about me so.....

...you want to tell me to leave this thread, but I have been in here as long this thread has been around. So where have you been? You all of a sudden popped up in here saying you're a lo-head and you pm'd me to remind me when we chilled that one time in 2007 through a mutual friend, meanwhile you were decked out in a Supreme tee, Supreme dunks and maybe Evisu Jeans? While I was geared down in a vintage RL stampede jacket and stampede shirt, RL 5 panel plaid hat and nike air max bursts and I don't even recall having any conversations about Polo that night with you being that would've been common ground, or should I ask you what do you even remember that night because you passed out from the alcohol.

Oh well, CLdriver, I didn't realize correcting you over a message board would cause such a sensitive reaction out of you that you felt some kind of way that you could "put me in my place", even though you edited the posts, but I read it and maybe others did as well.

What was it just last week you were liking my SnowBeach pic on instagram and commenting me to "pull out the museum". It's ok I guess we're not instagram friends anymore because your comment is no longer there on my pic.

Good luck to you CL

Sincerely,

The Gate Keeper

 

[thecldriver]

What happened last night, before you edited your posts cuz i laughed then went to sleep after i read when you were talking greasy on the internet, what was it that you said? "feeling froggy, jump" or "i'm not like these dudes" or "I'll put you in your place" or telling me to leave this thread because I complain too much, or talk about VGA was better blah blah blah So you felt the need to threaten me because I corrected you and asked where your source is from because you said Tommy Hilfiger designed for Ralph Lauren, but I said otherwise?
how ironic

thanks for revealing my job so to confirm, yes, I am an accountant. I'm not for hire to do taxes though but you want to air out something personal about me so.....

...you want to tell me to leave this thread, but I have been in here as long this thread has been around. So where have you been? You all of a sudden popped up in here saying you're a lo-head and you pm'd me to remind me when we chilled that one time in 2007 through a mutual friend, meanwhile you were decked out in a Supreme tee, Supreme dunks and maybe Evisu Jeans? While I was geared down in a vintage RL stampede jacket and stampede shirt, RL 5 panel plaid hat and nike air max bursts and I don't even recall having any conversations about Polo that night with you being that would've been common ground, or should I ask you what do you even remember that night because you passed out from the alcohol.

Oh well, CLdriver, I didn't realize correcting you over a message board would cause such a sensitive reaction out of you that you felt some kind of way that you could "put me in my place", even though you edited the posts, but I read it and maybe others did as well.

What was it just last week you were liking my SnowBeach pic on instagram and commenting me to "pull out the museum". It's ok I guess we're not instagram friends anymore because your comment is no longer there on my pic.

Good luck to you CL

Sincerely,

The Gate Keeper

I edited my post because yes due to the fact that I did not want my account deleted. Aside from being childish I have to give credit when credit is due (hence when I commented on your ig last week). Who doesn't own polo? When we met in 2007 I was decked in supreme highs evisu etc but also had minor polo pieces for day to day. Lol. A year and a half ago I've actually been on the hunt for power pieces that I was not willing to drop big coin on back in the day. Sorry for not being up to your standards in 07. You didn't correct me but talked down to me like a child. I don't even tolerate that from people doing double life sentences, (your glimpse into what I do). Congrats on the baby on the way. Hopefully it humbles you and helps you grow up. Be easy gate keeper. 1

 

[willie mcfly22]

Jus chimmin in on Hilfiger subject. The racist rumor deff hurt his credibility in Cali, at least the bay. Eryone rocked Tommy all thru 5th to my junior high days then that rumor spread and it went dead. I mean DEAD. New stuff was goin on sale quick. You'd find A LOT of items in Ross real quick even then it wasn't sellin...And it was never the same out here. Only folks I see rock tommy still are Philippinos and some white folks and it's rare you see it...

 

[bip roberts]

I don't feel like the rumor really was the death blow for TH in NYC. I stated my thoughts on why it fell off in my earlier post. But, as far as I remember, the rumor was sort of like something that was always whispered in the background, but didn't actually cause people to boycott the brand or anything. I know there were calls for such actions, but I don't recall the streets ever really listening.

Like I said, the designs fell off and the brand lost it's high-end, exclusivity appeal. ...Not like it was truly high-end, but it became to accessible and people who wanted to be up on what the next man wasn't just moved on.

I think most working class dudes - black, white, or otherwise - know that these clothes aren't design with them in mind, per se. That's the appeal - to take ownership of something that wasn't meant for you, to exert your will and style on something outside your demographic and have it become so powerful that it actually redefines that thing. I think RL won largely because he embraced that. His clothing was aspirational and it resonated with those who couldn't necessarily afford it. And, when people jump on for the ride, RL didn't do everything he could possibly imagine to chase those new customers by doing what he thought they wanted (but was really out of touch with, so he didnt truly know) Instead, he kept doing what he was doing that got these new audiences interested in the first place. As I said before, most producers of things that become the object of subcultures do a better job at feeding the subculture when they pretend it doesn't exist.

 

[pmiddy]

What I remember in regards to Tommy Hilfiger and a few others designers like Calvin Klein, ALLEGEDLY...they mentioned that they didn't designed clothes for "Urban Youth" in the communities. Maybe that came off as racist, being minorities were the Urban Youth...Blacks, Latinos...etc