Ralph Lauren Celebrates 50 Years of Its Iconic POLO Shirt With New Coffee Table Book

Legacy fashion house Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL +3.26%) has become synonymous with American wealth and luxury living – from custom suiting to home goods and accessories. But one of the brand’s most popular creations is perhaps its classic POLO shirt, now celebrating the 50th anniversary with an accompanying coffee table book release titled Ralph Lauren’s POLO SHIRT. 

The RL company (which includes the namesake label Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Double RL, Polo Ralph Lauren and more), has announced the release of a 544-page tome – published by Rizzoli New York – that captures the cultural impact and style significance of the POLO shirt. It includes an introduction by Mr. Ralph Lauren, a foreword by Ken Burns and an afterword by David Lauren. 

As a hardcover, the book measures in at 6.5” x 8.5” and comprises 400 color photographs with historic imagery and personal stories from celebrities, royals, athletes, and political figures detailing how individuals have made the iconic shirt their own. It also examines the origins of the shirt becoming affiliated with marquee events such as the US Open, Wimbledon and the US Olympics. 

The label calls the book “a hefty, stylish compendium of everything you ever wanted to know about Ralph Lauren’s timeless icon,” and reflecting on the rise of the popular item, Mr. Ralph Lauren says, “It was never about a shirt, but a way of living.” 

In addition to the book’s celebration, the company has opened a “Polo Shirt Concept Store” in Ginza and will open the second one in Berlin on May 18. The shop will solely sell the RL POLO shirt and will offer an extensive range of the item along with “Create Your Own” customization options for the family. 

Ralph Lauren’s POLO SHIRT coffee table book is currently available – in different color cover options – and retails for $36.95 USD on the Ralph Lauren website.Following the success of its Polo Bear vintage timepiece collection back in November last year, Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL +3.26%) has now turned to the world of dive watches for its latest collection, this time adorning its four-piece line with the American fashion house’s iconic Polo logo.

Being a dive watch-inspired model, the new offerings come in a slightly larger 42mm case size, with three constructed from stainless steel and the final one done in a matte black PVD finish. There’ll be three different color options to choose from, including two models with black lacquered dials, one in forest green, and one in navy blue. Much like the Polo Bear collection, each of the new watches are adorned with the signature Polo logo featuring a polo player in action on a horse, with his uniform’s color differing between different colored watch models, all of which carry the word “POLO” at the 12 o’clock position on the dive bezel where a lume pip would normally sit. Strap options are also aplenty, offering a cotton madras strap, a leather strap with ecru stitching, a leather NATO strap in three different colors with the company’s “Sport” logo printed on it, and two bracelets in either stainless steel or a black sandblasted finish. As for its internals, the watches run on a Swiss-made RL200 movement from Sellita, operating at 4Hz and holding a power reserve of a decent 38 hours.

Now available on the retailer’s website, the new Ralph Lauren Polo logo diver range will go from $1,650 USD to $2,150 USD depending on your model and configuration of choice.

Maya Angelou Becomes the First Black Woman on a Quarter

There is a new quarter featuring the seminal poet and activist Maya Angelou. The coins are part of the U.S. Mint‘s “American Women Quarters Program” which started shipping out to banks yesterday, showcasing a number of influential American women.

Designed by Emily Damstra, Ms. Angelou is depicted on the “tails” side of the coin, while George Washington remains on “heads.” Other figures part of the program include astronaut, Sally Ride, Wilma Mankiller, the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, Nina Otero-Warren, a leader in New Mexico’s suffrage movement, along with Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood.

“Each 2022 quarter is designed to reflect the breadth and depth of accomplishments being celebrated throughout this historic coin program. Maya Angelou, featured on the reverse of this first coin in the series, used words to inspire and uplift,” said Mint Deputy Director Ventris C. Gibson in a statement.

A prolific writer, whose 1969 memoir, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” described in vivid detail how it was like growing up Black in the Jim Crow South, Ms. Angelou used the power of literature to overcome racism and trauma. Upon her passing in 2014, former President, Barack Obama described her as “one of the brightest lights of our time…A childhood of suffering and abuse actually drove her to stop speaking – but the voice she found helped generations of Americans find their rainbow amidst the clouds, and inspired the rest of us to be our best selves.”