1980's Polo via Brittons of Columbia, SC
It is said that behind every successful salesperson is someone with a really big shovel. I think they're a bunch of shovels behind Polo but I wanted to look closely at its early history of marketing, advertising and especially photography.
Ralph Lauren's first employee was a clothes loving salesman from Norman Hilton, Anthony Edgeworth. According to Mr. Edgeworth things didn't work out and he was 'politely' fired with this advice from Lauren, "...find what it is in life that's yours. I did. You need to." Edgeworth had a Leica M4 and decided to take classes at the School of Visual Arts while apprenticing for Pete Turner. That was the reality of photography years ago. You could apprentice for the royalty of the art. I apprenticed for a photographer my senior year of high school. He was no Pete Turner. He sure as heck wasn't royalty. He was shooting canned pecans, in B&W, for a Georgia mail order catalog.
So how did he do it? Lauren -- not the guy I apprenticed for...I think he did it with a photographer and stylist. He didn't go with Edgeworth. Not right away. That was to come later. Instead, he hired Bruce Weber. And while I've never understood Weber's bandannas and the whole sailor-soldier thing...I respect his photography. But look at Weber's photography outside a Polo shoot and some thing's missing. And I think that something was Sandy Carlson Tarlow.
The photographer I apprenticed for had two cases of Hassleblad bodies and lenses along with a 8x10 view camera. You couldn't find better equipment anywhere. But he had no idea how to make pecans look good in B&W or in color for that matter. He spread them around a can and I listened to the clunk of the Hasslblad and the pop of the strobe and thought to myself, "...he's in trouble" which is what I think everytime I shoot the Friday belt.
Ms Tarlow may well have been the secret behind it all. Despite more than 30 years having passed -- these images still tell a powerful story. Sure, there's the money, class and inclusion stuff going on -- huge. But these were quality goods. Much of it simple and basic like Shetlands, khakis and oxford button downs. And it was all priced out of this world.
The images above are from Jam Good. A man who knows more about the apparel business and those who work in it than anyone I've ever known. He knows the story behind that Shaker Knit sweater (seamless and made by some guy in a Brooklyn basement), who did the suits in 1977 (Lanham Ltd of Lowell, MA until 1994) and who made the shirts (Ike Behar). Polo eye wear was handmade in France , the Polo blanket was made in Switzerland and Corgi Hosiery made the Shetlands.
I didn't really notice Polo until the late 70's. If I recall, my first love was a pair of khakis. I picked them up and immediately knew they were something special by the heft and finish. Almost like a British sports car. I took a look at the price and couldn't believe it...just like a British sports car. I thought, "Who the hell gets this kinda money for a pair of khakis?" Little did I know. The button down oxfords were next. Perfectly cut and priced for the rich. In college I was lucky and skinny enough to wear a boy's size 20. At $5 or $10 more than a man's Gant I could barely afford them but I had to have them.
The photography did it to me. I was putting myself through college on the GI Bill and I had a Fiat that was keeping me broke. I juggled a college work grant job and two other part time jobs off campus. I was taking out college loans from anyone that would give them to me and still - - I managed to scrape the bucks together for Polo madras trousers, some khakis and a handful of oxfords.
Someone told me a long time ago that people buy two things: Solutions to problems and good feelings. Polo went beyond good feelings. With those carefully styled settings and a talented photographer-- they sold me more than just pants. They sold me Ektachrome visions of an Anglo - American fantasy that I couldn't afford. But toss in the amazing quality and I convinced myself I wasn't a total fool for dropping over $100 bucks on madras pants. I was really buying quality... and slides.
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