On March 27, the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation announced that the company will donate $10 million to aid coronavirus relief—split between the Emergency Assistance Foundation, the World Health Organization’s COVID- 19 Solidarity Response Fund, and other organizations
Furthermore, the brand says it will provide financial assistance to its employees “facing special circumstances, like medical, eldercare, or childcare needs.” The company previously announced that select Ralph Lauren stores are closing temporarily but assured workers that they will still be paid. Ralph Lauren also plans to utilize its “U.S. manufacturing partners” to produce medical-grade protective materials, including 25,000 isolation gowns and 250,000 masks.
“Now more than ever, in this time of need, supporting each other has become our mission. Together we move forward with patience and optimism in the face of uncertainty,” Ralph Lauren’s full statement on this issue reads. “Our hearts and thoughts are with the global community. Our hope is to be a beacon of optimism and unity as we navigate this unprecedented time. It is in the spirit of togetherness that we will rise.”
Included in the $10 million relief effort will be an inaugural gift to the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Vogue Fashion Fund to help support the American fashion community.
Ralph Lauren, of course, is not the only fashion brand committed to helping those in need during the coronavirus outbreak. Brandon Maxwell, Prada, and a continually-growing list of fashion houses have promised to use their resources to make masks and gowns for hospitals facing shortages. Christian Siriano has already produced 1,000 masks with his team.
Meanwhile, luxury brand companies, like LVMH, are also writing checks and retooling their perfume and cosmetic factories to create more hand sanitizer. We truly love to see it, and hope other major companies (fashion and otherwise) follow suit.
Could we be any more excited about the latest way the fashion world is paying tribute to Friends?
In honor of the 25th anniversary of the show first airing on NBC, Ralph Lauren partnered with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to create the Wear-to-Work collection, inspired by one-time Ralph Lauren employee Rachel Green (played, of course, by Jennifer Aniston).
Ralph Lauren
Rachel was always the fashionista of the show. She may have started as a (not-so-great) waitress at the Central Perk, but it wasn’t long before she found her way to a job in the buying department at Bloomingdale’s and then eventually a role at Ralph Lauren. With ’90s and early aughts fashion having a moment right now, it’s the perfect time for an updated version of her chic workwear aesthetic. (As a young woman in starting her career in New York in the late ’90s, I can attest to the fact that Rachel Green was a definite role model for what to wear to the office.)
Ralph Lauren
“The collection, comprised of pieces from Polo and LAUREN Ralph Lauren, encapsulates the polished style synonymous with the iconic brand. The collection calls on tradition through pinstripe suiting, crested blazers, and equestrian- inspired accessories, while enhancing these classic pieces with navy and orange color-blocking and pops of leopard to offer a fresh fall spirit,” the brand said in a statement. The campaign was shot in recreations of Monica and Rachel’s apartment and the Central Perk, which truly hit all of my nostalgia buttons.
On any given day, you can typically find Taylor Hill in front of the camera, on a runway, or hanging at home with her boyfriend, Michael Stephen Shank, and their mini labradoodle, Tate. The Colorado native loves some good R&R—a good bath, some TV in bed. But for Hill, work is her priority: the 22-year-old model has walked countless fashion shows and is a face for Lancôme. And now, she has a new gig under her belt, as the newest face of Ralph Lauren Romance. She’s starring in the fragrance’s latest campaign, which launches today. And to ensure the romance in the campaign feels legit, she brought her longtime beau, Shank, along for the ride.
We sat down with Hill, with Shank and adorable Tate in tow, to ask them all of our Big Beauty Questions, below.
Glamour: What made you team up with Ralph Lauren?
They called me, they said they wanted to work with us and I said, “Heck yes!” For me, it just made so much sense because I’m from Colorado and I feel like a lot of essence and spirit of the brand is that western cowboy theme. It’s a huge deal where I’m from. Growing up, I always knew what Ralph Lauren was and when I came to New York and started modeling, I walked into a Ralph Lauren store for the first time and was like, “Wow, this looks like home. I don’t feel so homesick!” I’ve been walking for the brand since I was 17 and I’ve done almost every show since then.
PHOTO: Ralph Lauren
Hill and Shank together in the Ralph Lauren Romance campaign
Glamour: What was it like shooting the campaign with your boyfriend?
Taylor Hill: I had the best time. We were just doing our thing, on set just talking. We’re best friends first, and in a relationship, so for us it was like we just got to hang out. It was work for sure, but it was fun working together.
Michael Stephen Shank: I don’t want to say that it was too easy, but it really was too easy.
Glamour: What’s your favorite scent-related memory?
TH: The smell of baking, since my mom baked a lot when we were kids. She makes pies and cookies and all of that stuff—when I smell that, it’s like I’m back home and my mom’s baking cookies and it’s Christmas Eve or a birthday.
Glamour: What does your home smell like?
TH: My mom is obsessed with candles—she has a whole collection and special candles that she won’t light because they’re shaped like pinecones and things like that. We have a fireplace in the center of our house that’s always going in the winter. Home just smells cozy and warm. My favorite candle is Diptyque Baies($65).
Glamour: Do you wear fragrance when you walk the runway?
TH: I’m always running around like crazy so I forget to, but I should, because then it’ll mark the scent of a memory. I’m a firm believer in that. I never had a signature scent, so now I’ll use Romance as that.
Glamour: Have you learned any amazing beauty tricks backstage?
TH: A really good one from makeup artist Fulvia Farolfi: She uses a hair dryer to heat up the eyelash curler. She dabs it on her hand to make sure it’s not too hot and then curls your lashes with it. Your lashes go ‘woop’ and stick straight up and last the whole day. Genius.
TH:Lancôme Monsieur Big mascara($25). Seriously, I’m not just saying because I work with them, I only use that. I stress out if I can’t find it. I’ll give it to makeup artists and be like, “please use this.”
Glamour: Are there any self-care rituals that you swear by?
TH: I love to work out, so doing rest days and massage is really good for muscle recovery. I love massage, I’m a firm believer in deep tissue—it needs to hurt a little bit. I like to take epsom salt baths, which I do a lot in the winter. I get really cold, so during New York winters I’ll take baths at least three times a week.
Glamour: Do you and Michael ever steal beauty products from each other?
TH: He uses Génifique, the serum. And my sunscreen.
MSS: True. I’m doused in that Lancôme stuff. She also uses my Thinksport($7) deodorant, and then it disappears. It works well, so I’ll get it and she’ll steal it, and then I’ll never see it again. It’s a good one.
Glamour: What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of beauty?
TH: I bleached my eyebrows for the Alexander McQueen show because Pat McGrath was doing the makeup. I was 18 and it was my first major London fashion week. My eyebrows are my thing! They’re my look, they’re my staple. I was crying, saying I couldn’t do it. And then Pat looks at me and she’s like, ‘Darling, it’s McQueen!” So I did it.
Glamour: Who’s your beauty icon?
TH: I have many. One of my favorite models is Gisele Bündchen. She’s such a beautiful human being from the inside out. I’m her number one fan. I’ve always loved Brooke Shields, she made me appreciate my eyebrows. And Cindy Crawford. Are you kidding? I love Cindy Crawford. Now we’re kind of friends and I’m so happy about it, and I’m friends with Kaia—I hang out with her backstage at shows and I’m totally chill and normal. But I tell her all the time that I’m a superfan of her mom.
Did you also spend the weekend refreshing the Instagram feeds of Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas, and all their celebrity friends for glimpses of their wedding? The couple has been slowly rolling out photos from their various preweddingceremonies, but exclusive images of the main events have been revealed in People.
We knew that, for the Christian portion of the event, both the bride and groom would be wearing Ralph Lauren, a tidbit dropped as part of a Vogue cover story. (For the Hindu ceremony, Indian designer Sabyasachi outfitted both Chopra and Jonas—her in a traditional red lehenga, him in a sherwani with a hand-embroidered chikan dupatta and a chanderi tissue safa.)
Ralph Lauren is a brand that has special significance for the couple: They attended the 2017 Met Gala together as its guests, marking their first major outing as a duo.
PHOTO: George Pimentel
Shortly after announcing their engagement, Chopra and Jonas attended Ralph Lauren’s anniversary show during New York Fashion Week in September.
PHOTO: Rob Kim
This wedding is a pretty significant moment for Ralph Lauren as a brand: According to Vogue, the brand has designed bespoke bridal and bridesmaid looks only for members of Lauren’s family—but he made an exception for this couple. (“He personally came to Chopra with sketches,” the magazine noted.) And the result did not disappoint.
Ralph Lauren created a total of 34 outfits for the wedding ceremony: Chopra’s dress, Jonas’ tuxedo, Chopra’s mother’s look, Jonas’ mother’s outfit, Jonas’ father’s suit, 12 bridesmaid dresses, 12 groomsmen tuxedos, four flower girl dresses, and the ring bearer look. (For the reception following the Christian ceremony, the bride changed into a different ivory dress, also by Ralph Lauren.)
PHOTO: Courtesy of People.
The main event was obviously the bride’s gown: a long-sleeve, high-neck, hand-beaded, hand-embroidered two-layer dress. The sheer top was crafted from tulle and embellished with mother-of-pearl paillettes, crystal seed beads, Swarovski crystals, and satin colored buttons; according to the brand, this portion of the dress took 1,826 hours alone to make. Underneath, there was a strapless, sequined column dress—complete with 2,380,000 mother-of-pearl sequins, per Ralph Lauren. Her veil was a very low-key 75-feet long. You can see the newlyweds on People‘s Instagram, as well as watch a video of Chopra walking down the aisle.
Chopra’s Ralph Lauren wedding dress was filled with hidden personal details. Firstly, a piece of her now mother-in-law’s wedding dress was incorporated into the design. Then she had eight words and phrases sprinkled throughout the embroidery: Nicholas Jerry Jonas (her husband’s name), 1st December 2018 (her wedding date), Madhu & Ashok (her mother’s and father’s names), Om Namah Shivay (a Hindi mantra), Family, Hope, Compassion, and Love.
Jonas, too, opted to sprinkle some nods to his wife into his wedding tuxedo: A piece of Chopra’s gown was stitched to the inside of his Ralph Lauren Purple Label blazer, with the words My Jaan (“My Life” in Urdu).
Few American brands have achieved the level of prominence that Ralph Lauren has. It’s an entity that simultaneously evokes glamour, sophistication, and aspiration; but also accessibility, familiarity, and approachability. And it’s been striking that delicate balance for half a century.
For many, Lauren’s designs epitomize the American lifestyle. And the American lifestyle inspired him. “When I started out, everyone in the fashion world seemed to look toward Europe for newness and real fashion. I was always inspired by America,” he said in 2018. “I loved East Coast preppiness, the utility of the cowboy’s worn jeans, American folk art, the glamour of Hollywood, and the rich heritage of Native American craftsmanship. It’s always been there, right in front of us—on the streets, in the small towns, in the big cities—in the way people live.” Those themes continue to shape his collections, from the red-white-and-blue color story for Spring 2018 and Southwestern-inspired palette for Spring 2017 to the equestrian vibe of Pre-Fall 2017 and racing theme of Fall 2017.
Through his various labels, existing (Ralph Lauren Collection, Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Lauren Ralph Lauren, to name a few) and defunct (Polo Sport and Rugby Ralph Lauren, forever in our hearts), Lauren tapped into various parts of the American experience, from high-end suiting to modestly-priced workwear. His designs were worn by First Ladies and kids in Brooklyn alike. And he’s inspired generations of designers—from Tommy Hilfiger and Michael Kors to Alexander Wang and Jason Wu—to push the envelope while interpreting what American fashion can look like.
In honor of the company’s 50th anniversary, we look back at some of the most seminal Ralph Lauren moments from the past decades—from the launch of the Polo shirt to that awkward elevator ride with Rachel Green.
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The President and the First Lady hosted a picnic for military families on the White House lawn. Mrs. Trump went with the $2,490, blue-and-white Rivera gingham Ralph Lauren evening dress—who knew gingham could go evening?—anchored by a red, bow-embellished Alexander McQueen belt. Ralph Lauren is traditionally super American (the label has outfitted Olympians), so as far as that vein of criticism could go, the dress is practically, shall we say, unimpeachable. (Plus, it had pockets!)
PHOTO: Yuri Gripas/Bloomberg via Getty Images
As for the rest of her outfit, there is the on-sale $537 belt from Alexander McQueen, the British-based line. (And, well, if it weren’t for those pesky Brits, one could argue wouldn’t have gone off and started a fight for independence, nor, therefore had a Fourth of July to commemorate in the first place.)
Her shoes were—wait for it—flats (very picnic appropriate), and were reportedly from French shoe icon Christian Louboutin. So let’s leave it at that: It was the Fourth of July; FLOTUS wore a dress by an American designer. She got this one spot on.
