The Insecurity of Fashion - U.S. Polo Association Vs. Polo Ralph Lauren

Ever notice how this new generation of fashion snobs likes to talk about the fact that U.S. Polo Association is not Polo Ralph Lauren? Does it annoy you as much as it annoys me? As though Polo Ralph Lauren, a label that has been in existence since the late sixties that every generation has ran through should even be mentioned in the same sentence with U.S. Polo Association. If you wear Polo Ralph Lauren then just "do you" and stop worrying about people that are wearing U.S. Polo Association.

Purists of Polo Ralph Lauren may be interested in knowing that U.S. Polo Association clothing is licensed from the actual United States Polo Association and the clothes come from Jordache. It is not a brand that wants to be Polo Ralph Lauren or even aspiring to be Polo Ralph Lauren. It is an official and authentic product, and just happens to be chic because of the way that it is positioned in the marketplace. For those who are just now getting into Polo Ralph Lauren that weren't around the last time that label blew up in the early nineties, Jordache has been in existence as long as Polo Ralph Lauren has.

The real tragedy is not that people wear U.S. Polo Association clothing. There is nothing wrong with the clothing and it satisfies the needs for those who wants something preppy but cannot afford or do not want to pay for labels like Polo Ralph Lauren or shop at stores like Abercrombie and Fitch. The real issue with the line is that it too closely associated with Polo Ralph Lauren. Some of this is because both labels share the name Polo, but U.S. Polo Association also markets itself in a way that gives the perception that is an alternative to Polo Ralph Lauren, or even a cheaper version of it, when it is not.

Take the Chaps line, which some people insist is not part of Polo Ralph Lauren because it is owned by Phillips-Van Heusen and is not closely associated with Ralph Lauren. The brand just does not feel like Ralph Lauren, but it is, along with other brands such as Club Monaco and American Living, another bridge line under the umbrella that is sold at JC Penney. I have seen American Living, and I am not impressed with the line, but at the same time I wouldn't fault someone else for wearing it.

Polo Ralph Lauren just isn't anything to brag or boast about to me. We all did back in the early nineties when it seemed new to us, but I walk past it all the time without giving it a second thought. When it was popular back then a lot of companies tried to put out their own inferior versions of what they had at that time, but I have never seen the animosity towards people that are not wearing the "genuine article" that I see towards people wearing U.S. Polo Association. At that time the alternative may have been Brooks Brothers, which I am led to believe had actually employed Ralph Lauren before he got started and may have been where he got his early inspiration from.

If you think that Ralph Lauren has a corner on the "preppy, old money" conservative look, you should check out Brooks Brothers. There isn't anything fashionable about their clothing. It is the exact same look that they have been doing for almost 200 years. You can't say that you are serious about that look without checking them out. A luxurious dress shirt from them will set you back at least $135. If you want to go to their high end, expect to pay as much as $295. Keep in mind this is look without the rhetoric of Polo Ralph Lauren; no logos, no uncharacteristic or unorthodox interpretations of the look. Nothing to age and deconstruct the look, or make it look trashy or smell like it has been sitting in a wooden crate for 50 years. None of the marketing of Polo Ralph Lauren.

Polo Ralph Lauren is a label that is very good at marketing a lifestyle to consumers and making them feel as though they are purchasing a lifestyle. It puts you in a state of mind and makes you feel as though they can do no wrong and you can just envelope yourself in fashion. But true fashion is about what you do with clothing, not some look that a designer can make up for you. Polo Ralph Lauren represents a very small, micromanaged and carefully controlled aspect of one look in fashion. There is so much more to fashion, and while you can mix and match everything that Ralph Lauren offers throughout all of his labels; Polo, Purple Label, Black Label, Rugby, you will never truly experience the essence of fashion without getting away from the brand.

Fashion is about attitude, and there are other states of mind than those posited by the marketing guru's at the firms employed by Polo Ralph Lauren. U.S. Polo Association actually has more of an urban feel to it for me personally because of who usually ends up wearing it. I was caught up in Polo Ralph Lauren for at least ten years, and it was time to move on. For those who are just now getting into it, they are in for a fun ride. You will never, in your lifetime, ever come close to purchasing one percent of what that label offers. You think you have seen everything and there is always something around the corner. There are slight nuances and shifts and changes that pull you back into the label and encourage you to become even more obsessed with it than you were before.

But at the end of the day it can all be the same. Plus it is an expensive habit and one that is hard to keep up with. Let the people who are chasing U.S. Polo Association have their fun. I never wore the label myself, though I have been known to pick up Southpole here and there when I see something that I like. You have to love a label that you can find for $5 on sale, whether or not it is truly worth it. But I thought you should know exactly why U.S. Polo Association is never going to go away ...