Ralph Lauren by Ralph Lauren (2007, Hardcover)

First....This is an AWESOME book. No doubt about it. It is HUGE. It weights 14 1/2 pounds!!! It is really beautiful. The photos are just what you'd expect from Mr. Ralph. Sweeping, grand and elegant. There are over 700 photos..Large and small. Not a lot of text but enough to keep you well wrapped up.

BUT....Well...Really 2 buts....I am a HUGE fan of Lauren's western vintage inspired line of clothing called "RRL" or "Double RL". Have been since 1993. Was a little let down that there are only about 8 pics related to this line which Ralph admits many many times is his true passion and love in his vast empire of styles and brands.
On the upside...There are LOTS of photos from the first western collection in 1979 that was really the groundbreaking for all his RRL and Western/Roughwear/Santa Fe collections since. Many not seen in some 25 years. AA++ on that.

SECOND BUT....There are little to NO STORE photos. Inside or out of the shops. In my humble opinion...This is about 75% of Lauren's pure gift. HIS STORES!! There are unlike any other stores in the world!! Th sheer scope that each store has..It's own style depending on it's location, the accents, the style direction, etc. You can spend hours just wondering through his stores in awe. MAJOR minus in this book. DDD---

Upside again....There are many many photos NEVER published before. Most from early ad spreads. Lauren's early ads were often 15 to 20 magazine pages long...Like mini movies. Remember them all quite well from my early adulthood. Very nice to see new/old images. AAA+++

OVERALL...Excellent book. We all know Lauren could have (without any effort due to the wealth of material to draw from) split this book up into 3 or 4 or even 5 volumes. His life, the stores, the ads, the designs...hell....even the millions of dogs just used in his ads alone could fill a 200+ page coffee table book. I guess to totally cover all the Lauren aspects, you'd need a 30 pound book!

If you and Mr Ralph are very very close friends. You will WANT this book. Well worth the hefty price. Thanks Mr. Ralph for 40 years of letting us live our movies with you as the director, scripter and set designer. GREAT RIDE!!

P.S. You will need a REALLY BIG and REALLY strong coffee table for this book. Take my word.

After seeing Oprah talk about this book and having it on her "favorite things"
episode, I knew I had to have it.
This book is huge and has fantastic pictures. I have stock in Ralph Lauren and I am thrilled to have it on my table.

This book came in great condition! It shipped quickley without any problems. I would definitely buy from this seller again!

Great book, with amazing photos, from an American legend. This book tells the story of Ralph Lauren and his amazing rise in fashion, this is what the American dream is all about!!