Who is Ralph Lifshitz?

You don't know? Well you should, your wearing his shirt like it's going out of style....

What's goin on ya'll? Now anyone who knows me knows I have a trillion and one interests, one of them being fashion. Growing up, my mom tried her best to keep me in clothes she felt was fashionable, elegant, and stylish. I didn't always agree with the things she picked out but I will forever be grateful for her efforts because as I get older I find myself gravitating more towards the things she fought with me to try to get me into as apposed to the things I preferred in elementary and high school. I tend to look at Loafs and other shoes rather than look for the newest 'Jordans' or 'Nikes', I prefer a cardigan (Which is becoming way too popular) and a button up rather than a white tee and 'Champion' Hoodie! Not to say that I wouldn't take them all cause Lord knows I'd never turn my back on 'Nike' just saying I have a more mature style now. "Polo" is definitely one of those things my mom tried to get me into, and possibly the only thing I didn't argue with her about!

But I must say one thing I HATE is when something that has been around for ages all of a sudden becomes trendy! I Hate it! I Hate It! I Hate it! This brings me to the title of the post....

Ralph Lifshitz, more commonly known as Ralph Lauren (which is what he changed his name to) has been one of my favorite designers for as long as I can remember. Even before I knew who he was I knew I was a huge fan of those collard shirts with the 'Little Man on the Horse'. I didn't always love polo shirts but when I began to love em it was important to me that it had that "Polo Ralph Lauren" logo. But more recently it has become something I call a "Hood Staple" in other words something that the young men and women from the hood get their hands on and ruin! Don't get me wrong, I'm not here trying to play the roll of Fashion Police nor am I anyone to say what you should or shouldn't wear. But I will tell you this, I've never worn anything without having some sort of knowledge of the history of the brand, whether it be personal memory, or actual literature on the product.

^Before you began reading, could you Identify this Face?^
Ralph Lauren in all his Splendor

This is why I get upset with "Hood Staples" they never seize to amaze me. Things that were once ridiculed and outcast ed become the "in" thing and the norm. Like Asolo Boots! I HATE them with all the blood, passion, sweat, and tears in my body, and I kid you not, had I wore them 2 years ago, my peers would laugh at me because I wasn't wearing Timberland boots, am I lying? But now, they're on the feet of all men and women between the ages of 4 and 24. It's disgusting. "Polo Ralph Lauren" is no different, not saying that there was a time where it wasn't accepted, it just wasn't as big as it is now here in the urban communities. But like I said, my biggest pet peeve is seeing someone wearing it and knowing that they know not the history and or origins of the brand.
I.E. Did you know that Ralph Lauren was born in the Bronx? Or that he got his start working at Brooks Brothers as a Salesman? No, so I guess you wouldn't have known that in 1967 he opened up his own Necktie Store where he also sold ties of his own design, correct? I thought so! I won't give you more history on it, all I want to share is this: Next time a rapper or some other form of artists mentions something, particularly a brand or designer don't run out and spend all your money on it just because it flew out of their mouths. Do some research, see where that brand or designer came from, figure out what the style's intention is, see if that brand or designer is right for you, because if not what happens is, it becomes over saturated and quite frankly annoying to see on your back.

I wanna give a Shout out to 3 of my cousins:

Kessler: This man was born in Honduras, but as a huge fan of quality he's been wearing Polo since he stepped foot in this country over a decade and a half ago, and maybe even before that!

Hernan: I mean, he wasn't calling himself 'Young Ralph Lauren' for nothing, and this was years before 'F.L.Y.' came out with "Swag Surfin"

Buddy: His Favorite style of shirts has always been Polo shirts, so you could never say he's following the trends either!

To all my people with their own individual style and trends shout outs to you, to all you trendy whores who just hop on bandwagons, go......

Stay Up and Stay tuned ya'll
Luv ya all!