The Historian (formerly Adventurer) style avatar was a sleeper for a long time. At first, the shift to WFH moved me away from my more “formal” avatars, the Prince (now High Priestess) and the Artist, towards the fun and quirky Bohemian. In the last few months, though, it’s the Historian that calls to my imagination. Don’t get me wrong; I still wear and will continue to wear a lot of Bohemian outfits because I adore colour and patterns, and summer is coming. But the Historian is where a lot of my creative energies are being drawn.
I was looking back at some of the recent Historian outfits I’ve loved the most, and it struck me that they had a definite Ralph Lauren flavour. The fact that two of my most beloved pieces of clothing are vintage RL helped the realization along. I started digging into online archives, looking for 80s and 90s Ralph Lauren images. I quickly realized that I’d hit a rich vein of inspo. Finding lots of pictures from 30+ year old runway collections or magazine ads isn’t easy, but the thing about Ralph Lauren is that their collections self-reference a lot. That’s why it’s really easy to spot a Ralph Lauren look.
I have never considered myself a fan of Americana in fashion, so the cowboy end of the RL spectrum isn’t really my bag. And as a non-WASPy immigrant, I have complicated feelings about preppy style. But! I do love the tweeds and the plaids, the wools and leathers and linens. Especially anything with a more “dark romance” edge to it.
As in all things style-related, I struggle to explain in words the ideas and moods I want my clothes to evoke, but basically: I know what it is when I see it.
Here are a few of the images I’ve bookmarked for inspiration:
I also took a deep dive into the brand’s history, and came across some interesting articles including this one on its influence on 90s hip hop culture. It expanded my view of the brand and what I had perceived as its WASPy connotations. I should also add that my current obsession with all things 90s (from pop culture to fashion) is going strong. It feels re-energizing to find new sources of inspiration, and there is a nostalgic element to revisiting an era from one’s own living memory.
Reminds me of what my mom wore in the 80s! Love the textures.
I really wish my mom had been into fashion and left behind some of her old clothes. I would like to do that for my daughter but then again, who knows if she will be interested in that.
This is really interesting because I feel like two of my main styles are those other RL areas: the western cowboy ranch and the very classic preppy area. Both I think influenced heavily by the fact that I’ve grown up riding horses in both the western-ranch sense as well as the english-leather-foxhunting sense. My struggle is often balancing the two
Well, RL manages to do that somehow so it’s def possible 🙂 It’s interesting to study the brand identity and how it shifts between those aesthetics and embraces both.
I certainly don’t mind some tweed and loafers or even a sweater vest for that matter.
All classics!