Next to Karl Lagerfeld, my favourite designer (and one that I can actually afford once in a while) is Ralph Lauren. I love the man, the label, and the image. Being the odd child that I was, I even asked for a set of matching Polo Ralph Lauren RL2000 Luggage for my 19th Christmas present, and I adore it.
Ralph Lauren (askmen.com)
Listed in the top 200 richest people in the world (he is number 173) and a net worth of over $5.8 Billion dollars, Lauren has well overshot his high school hopes of becoming a millionaire. If that list were rearranged to include cool-factor, I am sure that he would make the top 10. What do you do when you have more money than God? Buy LOTS O’ STUFF…but not just anything…A-list stuff. What do A-listers buy? Things we cannot…like Expensive luxury cars. In addition to assembling one of the most legendary luxury international labels, Ralph Lauren has assembled one of the most impressive luxury car collections in existence.
Now let me be clear: I am not one of those idiots who would dare compare a car to a woman (or vice versa) nor sooner would I compare it to beautiful garments. I do, however, stand by what I have said before (and those who said it long before me), fashion is in everything. Anyone who appreciates the beauty of a Ralph Lauren ensemble must surely appreciate the elegance and class of Ralph Lauren’s taste in automobiles. After all, cars share the same utilitarian artistic quality as fashion in that they are art that you can live your life in. Ralph Lauren himself admits that, “you can look at it, enjoy its visual qualities, as with a painting, but you can also get inside and drive it.”
Bugatti 57 S(C) Atlantic (1938)
Bentley Blower (1929)
Mercedes-Benz SSK Count Trossi (1930)
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza (1931)
Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 Mille Miglia (1938)
Bugatti 59 Grand Prix (1933)
Ferrari 375 Plus (1954)
Jaguar XKD (1955)
Porsche 550 Spyder (1955)
Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa (1958)
Ferrari 250 GTO (1962)
Ferrari 250 LM (1964)
Jaguar XK120 Roadster (1950)
Jaguar XKSS (1957)
Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB (1960)
McLaren F1 LM (1996)
Although the collection is normally kept out of the public eye, but for just four short months, the collection will be on display at Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs. L’Art de l’automobile showcases 17 of Lauren’s rare and simply magnificent cars until August 28th.
Since he can spare a few million, I think that Ralph Lauren should fly several hundred of his most loyal fans (including me, of course) to Paris to see the exhibit. Alas, I am sure that phoning this idea into the Ralph Lauren Customer service hotline will not be well received, and I will have to enjoy the collection from the RL website.
If I do spontaneously end up in Paris before it ends, don’t be surprised if that 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing magically opens its doors and flies away…
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing (1955)
