Polo Ralph Lauren or Burberry?

I was watching one of many videos on YouTube by Polo Ralph Lauren enthusiasts bragging about how much Polo they have and came up with a new idea. Most of what these pundits have in their closet is from the nineties, when the label was about as commercial as it had ever been and Ralph Lauren was bringing in astronomical amounts of money for a label represented by one particular designer. Some of the comments left on their videos suggest that people wear Burberry instead, and that no one is really into Polo anymore.

Well someone is still into Polo because you have all of these videos with young males showing off their wardrobe in cyberspace. While I think that your average young man in their twenties is obsessed with Polo Ralph Lauren, when men get a bit older, say in their thirties, they need something different. You could switch to Ralph Lauren's Purple Label line of clothing, but to be totally honest, that label is a euro-centric interpretation of Polo. There isn't anything revolutionary or new going on in that label, which is one of the reasons why critics hated it when it debuted.

Burberry is a label that has never fully been explored like other labels such as Gucci, Christian Dior or Louis Vuitton . The problem with fashion is that apologists spend entirely too much time wearing clothing that sports logos and tells you what they wear. Most people, who are supposed to know how to dress, never evolve and are never comfortable enough in what they are wearing to sport clothing without the logos. Even Polo Ralph Lauren itself is more interesting when there aren't any logos involved. Most of the cheaper clothing with the large logos is just promotional work to get fools to advertise the label for free. You aren't that deep into the label if you are sporting the horse.

Burberry never took off because they do not have a recognizable logo. Unlike Lacoste , which is recognizable by the loud colors, Burberry is a mature, understated line that says that you are into fashion but you aren't obsessed by it. It is also an exclusive label, and you won't find it in the ghetto like you do Polo Ralph Lauren. Your average T.J . Maxx or Marshalls is not going to carry anything by Burberry , and you are lucky if you find a factory outlet store (and prices there, at a mere 15 to 25 percent off, are not as cheap as they would be in a Polo Ralph Lauren factory outlet store).

This is how I would approach Burberry . Forget about those loud shirts with the tartan pattern; they are cool, and they are not cheap, but that shows everyone that you are new to the label and at best, an amateur. Explore different labels; unlike American sportswear labels, the differentiation between lines is not by price, but on design itself. Burberry Prorsum , considered their most luxurious line, is not necessarily more expensive than Brit or London. At the same time the label is not as trendy, or as sexy as kids would like for it to be.

British labels are a "best kept secret" in the world of high fashion. Those with "new money" are not interested in these labels at all because British labels are rarely as flamboyant and sexy as French and Italian fashion labels are. You can wear a label without anyone knowing what you are wearing because you are not advertising it to the world. You also have to look at the stores that carry a label to determine just how serious they are. If you do a search on Burberry , you will notice that the first stores that come up are always Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, or Bergdorf Goodman. The people who shop at these stores might wear Polo Ralph Lauren, but they aren't losing any sleep over it.

Polo Ralph Lauren is still an aspirational label if you go about it the right way. They have $895 sweaters and $350 shirts. But the fact that Ralph Lauren still has a lot of clothing that is without logos and more exotic labels seems to be the elephant in the room for Polo Ralph Lauren enthusiasts. I still think that Double Ralph Lauren was a better label than Polo Ralph Lauren, but I can understand why that label did not do well. But if I had to drop $500 on a sweater, I would rather drop it on Burberry than Polo Ralph Lauren. No one in the hood is going to have what I have on. Their sizes are small, and seeing that I wear a 2x I cannot even fit into what they are offering, so that is another reason you do not have to worry about too many people wearing it.

Why aren't designers that have cool fashion that is not loud ever given any consideration in the neighborhood? I have a few theories. Polo Ralph Lauren is a fashionable label that is not as effeminate or soft as what is offered by some of the other designers out there. American sportswear in general is in a safe place, and Polo Ralph Lauren offers a rugged quality that you are hard pressed to find with the European fashion labels. Polo Ralph Lauren also offers clothing that is loud and chic at the same time, and unlike a lot of the urban fashion labels that are out there, is better quality in every way imaginable. The label offers clothing that urban fashion labels would put out, but refuse to put out because Ralph Lauren does it better. In many ways the brand is as much of an extension of urban fashion as Tommy Hilfiger used to be 15 years ago.

If Burberry really wanted to have a presence in the 'hood, you could buy their clothing in 6x like you could Polo Ralph Lauren. The label wants to have an exclusive preference and remain low profile. But there are creative alternatives to Polo Ralph Lauren. Hugo Boss routinely offers clothing in 2x, and is routinely on sale. In fact if you were to visit any of the higher tier department stores downtown or out in the suburbs you would find a lot of interesting alternatives to Ralph Lauren. The thing about it is that if you are accustomed to paying $125 for a sport shirt you don't want anything cheaper. It is a lifestyle that you have to maintain and work hard at. But you aren't limited to what Ralph Lauren has to offer, and you should be able to put together a nice outfit for $150 if you need to. If you are forced to wear shoes that only cost $50 that should not be the end of your world...