I read somewhere recently that Ralph Lauren is going through a major resurgence, climbing up the list of most-talked about designer brands. And to that I say: hah, welcome to the club! I mean that; no sarcasm. I am not that person, because I don’t believe in gatekeeping and because there are plenty of people who have been riding the Ralph Lauren train for far longer than I have, whose knowledge far exceeds mine. Still, years of loving and buying and wearing the clothes have taught me a few things and – more pertinent to this post – given me many opinions. Which I am more than happy to share, thanks for asking.

To tell you the truth, this post was inspired by one of my pet peeves. All my pet peeves are petty, but this one is pettiest than most: I hate it when Poshmark sellers list something as “black label Ralph Lauren” when it is, in fact, a LAUREN Ralph Lauren item. Did I mention this is also an incredibly niche pet peeve? Let’s unpack, because some of you may be feeling a bit lost right now.

The Ralph Lauren universe includes a number of sub-brands, some of them still operational, some now defunct; these sub-brands are aimed at different segments of the market and sold at different price points. Most of them contain some combination of Ralph and Lauren in their name, so it can all become rather confusing. As a result, people sometimes use other monikers to differentiate sub-brands. The top of the line – aka the really fancy, expensive sh*t – is Ralph Lauren Collection (sometimes just plain Ralph Lauren) and colloquially referred to as “purple label” because its brand labels are, you guessed it, purple. There was, at one time, a similarly fancy Ralph Lauren line that had a black label, but as far as I know, it no longer exists. BUT! Current LAUREN Ralph Lauren (LRL) brand tags are also black, and it seems some resellers on Poshmark have taken to using “black label” in their LRL listings. This rubs me the wrong way because it’s disingenuous, whether intentionally or not. LRL is a diffusion brand, an order of magnitude lower than Ralph Lauren Collection in terms of price (and quality); a “purple label” item retails for 10 times the price of its LRL equivalent. Calling LRL “black label” makes it sound fancier than it is by association. Not to mention that it can be misleading to prospective buyers who have a vague idea that some Ralph Lauren labels are better than others – and colours have something to do with it – but are not super knowledgeable about the appearance of labels and what they denote.

And, look: I am not a stickler for naming accuracy. I call everything Ralph Lauren because I’m lazy, and I have no issue with other people being lazy too. If typing “LAUREN Ralph Lauren” in your listing title is too much work, write “Ralph Lauren” and be done with it. Just make sure that the rest of the listing is transparent about the actual sub-brand being sold; either put it in the description or include a photo of the brand tag. There is no excuse for writing “black label Ralph Lauren” – there’s a whole extra word so it’s not like it’s more efficient.

Well, I’m glad I got that off my chest.

However, this post wasn’t intended to be a rant. Rather, I want to share my personal opinions about the various Ralph Lauren sub-brands and show you how to identify them in the wild. The former may or may not be useful to you, but it’s the price of admission, sorry. My opinions are based on personal experiences with various clothing items I have come across at the thrifts and/or purchased for myself, so the list below is a not a ranking of all RL sub-brands, as there are several which I have never come across in real life. I have sorted it best to worst, and if your mileage varies, well … it’s a free world 🙂

1. Ralph Lauren Collection (Purple Label)

I only have a couple of purple label pieces in my closet but can attest that they are, indeed, excellent quality. Both are made in the USA and the materials feel luxe (cashmere, silk, you get the idea).

2. Ralph Lauren Polo Country

RL Country was a diffusion line, similar to Polo, that sold from the late 80s through the mid-90s or thereabouts. The reason I am putting it so near the top of my list is because I am a huge fan of its aesthetic – heavily influenced by Papa Ralph’s southwest- and prairie-inspired early collections – and because of the excellent quality. The latter was largely a function of the brand’s timeline, rather than its exclusivity; things were simply better made in the 80s and 90s, even if they weren’t being made for the runway.

Some of my favourite RL items in my personal collection are from the Country line, and this is one of the brands I specifically search for on eBay. I have read that Country was the spiritual precursor of the Double RL (RRL) brand, which is Papa Ralph’s design baby. Double RL is about as exclusive and expensive as “purple label” with the added cachet of being the creative outlet of Papa Ralph’s personal style. I have yet to get my hands on any Double RL pieces, and they tend to be less accessible, price-wise, than Country, which is why I tend to focus my searches on the latter. But, word to the wise: Country is also getting increasingly pricey on the resale market. Le sigh.

3. Ralph Lauren / Polo Ralph Lauren (Blue Label)

I haven’t yet figured out if there is a significant difference between the tags that say only “Ralph Lauren” and the ones marked “Polo”. Both are blue, for what it’s worth. The quality seems similar between the two and is, overall, very good or excellent. This is true across all RL sub-brands, but the quality of vintage clothing (pre-2000) is – in many but not all cases – measurably better than current equivalents. For example: I recently thrifted a Polo men’s shirt of recent vintage (based on the label), and its material is noticeably thinner than that of my vintage Polo men’s shirts, even though they’re all cotton.

Here are a few of the “blue label” pieces in my closet:

4. “Big Label” LAUREN Ralph Lauren

We are getting into the weeds here, so bear with me. As one of the earliest diffusion lines, LRL offered the Ralph Lauren aesthetic at a more affordable price point – meaning that many pieces were near-dupes of designs included in the runway collections. Obviously, there was a difference in quality, but vintage LRL was good stuff. Really good stuff. Honestly, sometimes just as good as the “blue label”. Now, the quality of LRL – along with everything else in the fashion industry – has been declining steadily for decades, so it helps to have an easy way to spot items that might be worth more, quality-wise. This might be somewhat arbitrary, but what I look for is the big green LRL labels. You will better understand what I mean in a moment, but one way to tell what’s vintage LRL is to look at the “made in” tags. Pieces made in the USA, the Marianna Islands, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines are all likely to be pre-2000. By today’s standards, the quality is often on par with current Polo, or better.

4. (Tie) RALPH by Ralph Lauren

Shall we call this one the “plaid label”? I kid, I kid. RALPH was a short-lived diffusion line from the late 90s, aimed at a younger market. Most of the pieces I’ve seen have had a preppy vibe. In my admittedly limited (because this is a pretty rare sub-brand to find) experience, the quality is similar to LRL stuff from the same era. Worth noting that sizing might run a bit small, perhaps because of the youth market orientation.

5. Denim & Supply

Another now-defunct diffusion line, primarily known for denim, workwear and western-inspired clothing. Most of the pieces I’ve come across have been from the 2000-2015 era, and usually made in China. Quality is average. This is a brand I would buy for the aesthetic (if an item speaks to me), not the quality.

6. Other LAUREN Ralph Lauren

LRL labels have changed a number of times over the years, as you can see from the sampling above. After the big chunky green labels with woven lettering, there came the thin green labels with woven lettering. Followed by green labels with printed lettering and, finally, the aforementioned black labels. My personal ranking goes something like this:

Almost all of my LRL clothing is “big green label”, but I have one or two more recent pieces.

7. Chaps

This is an early diffusion line that was sold off many years ago, and which apparently hasn’t had any real connection to Ralph Lauren (the designer) since then. There had been a variety of different tags over the years, but newer ones only say “Chaps”. I don’t have a lot of first-hand experience with this sub-brand, but the internet doesn’t think highly of it. I’ve seen some cute pieces, but quality is meh. As in all things, the older clothing is probably better quality, but new stuff is definitely a level below current LRL.

I hope this meandering journey through the Ralph Lauren universe wasn’t entirely without interest, and good luck to my fellow RL-loving thrifters out there. May the odds be ever in your favour!

Details: unbranded mesh top, H&M turtleneck, Ralph Lauren skirt, vintage belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I love a baroque painting-inspired piece, so I snapped up this mesh top immediately — even though I’m 99.9% sure that it’s super-fast fashion. Mesh tops are one of the few items where quality doesn’t matter all that much; by their very nature, the material is going to be synthetic, and as I always wear them layered, that is somewhat inconsequential. I love this top, and so does my daughter, so we’re having fun and keeping something out of the landfill. Win-win. The other statement piece here is that belt, which is now officially one of, if not the coolest one I own. It’s vintage but has no stamping, so I have no idea what brand it is, but it delivers maximum style impact. Literally, an outfit maker. By the way, I am hearing that maxi skirts — both column and full styles — are trending for 2025. That on top of the resurgence of chocolate brown makes me feel like sartorial Christmas came early this year. Given how the rest of, well, everything is going right now, I’ll take small wins no matter how infinitessimal they are.

Details: unbranded cardigan, Gap turtleneck, Acne skirt, Suzy Shier coat (all thrifted), Tignanello bag (Poshmark)

Thoughts: I was super excited to find this looooooong wool Acne skirt for, like, $8 at Value Village, only to run into an immediate block. I had no idea how to style it. We have established how much I love column maxi skirts, but this one is extra long (like, seriously!) and the colour is not in my usual wheelhouse. I’m exploring grey this season, but I’m still in the early stages of figuring out how to incorporate it into my wardrobe palette. So, I kept the skirt to the side, waiting for inspiration to strike. Eventually, I decided to just go for it. And by “it”, I mean anything. Sometimes you gotta try something even if it’s not perfect, just to get the creative ball rolling. As it turned out, this outfit wasn’t half bad. I do love grey and yellow together, especially bookended with black, which makes them pop. I also learned that I have to roll the waist of the skirt a good 5 inches to make it wearable without stilts. This means that I can’t have the waist showing, so tucking in is a no go. That, in turn, puts certain parameters in place for the kinds of tops/sweaters I can wear with it. Outfit dominos, in action. So, now, I am further ahead in my exercise of figuring out how to style this dress. And I got a cute outfit out of it too.

Details: Chepe dress (retail), Ports blazer, Ralph Lauren vest, Nocona belt, unbranded tulle skirt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I jokingly called this my “invincible summer” outfit. IYKYK. While, sadly, that literary allusion currently doesn’t reflect my mental landscape, it always applies to my sartorial preferences; that is to say, no matter the season, I am always in the mood for summer clothing. Ergo, I am always looking for ways to wear my favourite summer pieces in their off-season. Layering is the main answer, obviously.

Details: Tahari shirt, H&M pants, Fossil belt, Ferragamo shoes (all thrifted), Ralph Lauren sweater (Poshmark)

Thoughts: I haven’t been as active on Poshmark in the last 6 months as before, but I still like to keep a hand — or, rather, an eye — in there for special things. That category includes vintage Ralph Lauren pieces to add to my archival collection. In this case, “archival” refers to the clothing itself — vintage items that encapsulate the brand’s history and aesthetic — rather than their function, because the plan is to wear the heck out of them. The Ralph Lauren brand is undergoing one of its periodic renaissances, having significantly shot up in popularity and trendiness in recent years; in tandem, and not coincidentally, the price of vintage RL clothing has gone through the roof. Keeping a steady eye on this market, I know how to spot a good bargain; they are increasingly rare. This sweater was one of them. It’s classic 90s Ralph, handknit, and I was able to score it for about 1/3 of the price of other listings. So, I jumped on it immediately … even though that meant buying it in the middle of the postal strike and sitting on tenterhooks for nearly a month, waiting to see if I’d end up getting it or if the seller would get fed up and cancel the purchase on me. Well, I’ve already spoiled the ending for you: I did eventually get it, and it was worth the wait. I know it’s a sweater I’ll treasure for years. And who knows … at the rate things are going, it might be an actual investment, hahahaha!

Details: Orvis shirt, Uniqlo sweater, Jones New York jacket, Eclat skirt, Banana Republic belt, Stuart Weitzman shoes (all thrifted), Land’s End bag (Poshmark)

Thoughts: I adore this sweater, and I adore this jacket, and that’s what this outfit is basically about. Oh, and the bag! This was the other Poshmark purchase I made this fall, and the second that ended up being stuck in transit during the strike. Again, worth the wait. As you know, I am obsessed with this shade of blue at the moment, and suede is still having its moment, so this bag checks off a lot of boxes. I was also intrigued by the shape; I haven’t worn hobo style bags for ages, but I’m finding myself drawn to them again. I actually found this bag by searching for a blue suede bag on Poshmark, and was surprised to end up with something from Land’s End of all brands — who knew they even made bags?? But the quality is great and for the price I paid ($40), I am very happy. Which also describes my feelings about this outfit. Top marks all around.

Details: Ralph Lauren turtleneck, Club Monaco shirt, Nine West jacket, vintage skirt, Nocona belt, Canadienne boots (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I straight up stole Papa Ralph’s personal style for the purposes of putting together this outfit, and I am not embarrassed at all. He’s the master of thoughtful layering, and I am forever in my seat, taking notes. Also, in case you were wondering, my experiments with mini-skirts are still going well.

Details: Chepe dress (retail), Free People sweater, Paul Smith scarf, vintage jacket (all thrifted), Chicwish tulle skirt (Poshmark)

Thoughts: Here’s the same Chepe dress as above, in a different colour, winterized in a different way. But the underskirt is the key detail because what I’ve recently discovered is that tulle is perfect cold-weather insulation. Like, for real! As a bonus, it adds volume and creates interesting proportions. I had a bunch of different people compliment me on this outfit, including a small group of kids and a member of Gen Z. That kind of cross-generational appeal is something I’m definitely gonna brag about 😉

Alright, look: not all mundane purchases are magical. Most of them probably aren’t, unless you live a much more exciting life than I do. But a blog post needs a catchy title. And this isn’t a bait-and-switch situation, because I am going to tell you about the life-changing magic of certain specific mundane purchases I made on Amazon last year. Four of them, to be precise.

There is a fairly short list of everyday products that I’ve bought over the years which have unquestionably improved my quality of life in mundane but important ways. My Jiffy clothes steamer. My belt hole puncher. My WonderLint sweater shaver. My Billion Dollars Brows universal eyebrow pencil. My BaByLiss hair-styling tools. You get the idea. Most of these things can be found on Amazon, which isn’t to say that Amazon is magical, only convenient. Anyway, last year I added 4 more things to this list and I want to tell you about them because, just maybe, they might also make your life a little bit better.

Walking Pad

I’ve talked about this before but, a full year on since my purchase, it continues to deliver life-changing magic. Like, for real. Of all the things on this list, my walking pad has made the biggest impact on my life – in a very concrete and measurable way. I have never been fitter in my whole adult life than I am now, at 44. Walking is the perfect form of exercise for naturally slothful people, and I am speaking as one. It’s low intensity (I hate getting sweaty) and low impact (I have creaky knees and a temperamental back), but done consistently, it delivers fantastic health benefits.

For me, a walking pad takes care of the two worst things about walking: (1) having to go outside, and (2) the boredom factor of repetitive exercise. Now, don’t get me wrong; I like walking outdoors … in nice weather. The weather in Edmonton is not consistently nice. Winters can be brutal, summers can be smoky. Walking indoors means I can walk any time, and the walking pad makes it easy to squeeze it into my daily schedule in small increments throughout the day. Which keeps me moving regularly, something health experts recommend. Since around May, I have been walking about 8-9 km on average every day. It sounds like a lot, but broken down into sessions of anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes, it’s surprisingly manageable. It does get boring, though, which brings me to the second advantage of the walking pad; within a few days, I was able to get my balance figured out so I can read or watch shows on my phone while I walk. (I should mention that I am someone who gets car-sick from reading in moving vehicles, and the walking pad doesn’t trigger that at all.) It makes the time fly even quicker.

As you might imagine, I put a LOT of wear and tear on my pad last year, but it’s holding up well. It had to be oiled a couple of times, and the battery on the remote replaced, but otherwise I have no complaints. The brand of my pad is AirHot, but the exact model isn’t currently available on Amazon and I don’t think there is any particular magic in the brand itself. I paid about $270 for mine back in January 2024, and there are very similar-looking ones in the same price ballpark, so if you’re interested, I would suggest doing what I did when I bought mine: pick one with good reviews that don’t sound bot-generated.

Before I move on to the next thing on the list, here is a little addendum. Before I got my walking pad last year, I had not had a consistent workout routine in more than a decade. Establishing a new habit and sticking to it isn’t particularly easy, and I don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all approach. For me, a number-based goal can be extremely motivating, so I set daily step targets for myself. I used to track this on my phone, but after about 10 months, I got fed up with the inaccuracy of its built-in pedometer, not to mention the hassle of having to carry my phone with me everywhere, all the time. So, I bought a $20 basic pedometer on Amazon that clips on clothing and looks a bit like a pager. The downside of looking like a time-travelling 90s businessman is more than offset by the satisfaction of knowing I’m not missing a step (from my daily goal).

e.l.f. Eyeshadow Pencil

The older I get, the less makeup I seem to enjoy wearing. I’d rather spend my time (and money) on skincare. Lipstick, eyebrow pencil, and a bit of foundation under my eyes and on my nose is just about all I can manage these days. But having more or less given up on mascara, lately I’d been feeling a bit ‘naked’ around the eyes. I am super pale so I felt like I was needed a bit of extra contrast in that area to balance out the bright (usually red) lipstick I like to wear. I don’t have the dexterity to mess with eyeliner and getting eyeshadow right is tricky for me because I had deep-set eyes.

Enter the e.l.f. No Budge Matte Shadow Stick. Basically, it’s a jumbo pencil that you can use to get a just-rolled-out-of-bed-looking-miraculously-cute, smudged eyeliner effect. I don’t need to be precise with it; I just sort of run it along my upper lashline once or twice, depending on how dark I want it to be. I use the shade Cool Beans, which is dark brown.

It lives up to its name; it does not budge or smear at all during the day, but it’s easy to take off. [I tried a Nyx version, and it creased and rubbed off within hours.] It gives my eyes enough definition without looking as stark as black mascara does on me. I love how ridiculously easy and quick it is to apply. I’ve already bought a back-up 🙂

Watch Repair Kit

This is a more niche item, but if you have a watch collection, an incredibly useful one. I got the Ohuhu watch repair kit ($23CAD on Amazon) and the JOREST watch press tool set ($16CAD on Amazon). The latter is for removing (and putting back) watch backs that have a pry opening rather than screws holding them in place; the Ohuhu kit doesn’t include this tool. Between the two, we can now do all our watch maintenance and repair at home, including battery replacement, watch strap adjustment and replacement. And by “we”, I mean my husband, who is actually handy with tools. We’re both watch collectors and have saved well over $100 this past year alone by not having to take various pieces to a professional repair shop. It’s been especially useful for rehabbing the vintage watches I’ve bought secondhand, most of which have needed their bands either replaced (if leather) or adjusted (if metal). I don’t care if my watches actually run, but my husband has done battery replacements on his and they’re super inexpensive to buy.

Mechanical Keyboard

I know it sound silly, but this keyboard brings me a ridiculous amount of joy every day I need to sit in front of my computer. In fact, it’s been more than 6 months since I’ve had it, and the joy hasn’t diminished at all. I love how it looks, I love the clicketty sounds it makes (SO FUN!), and I love the various light-up options I can program. Some days, having a little rainbow at your fingertips makes all the difference, you know? I have the LTC NB681 Nimbleback model; it’s currently about $70CAD, which is middle-of-the-road, cost-wise, for a mechanical keyboard but it has good reviews, and I have had no complaints about its performance.

Now, please, tell me: what mundane things have brought life-changing magic into your life lately?