I have always been a fan of Ralph Lauren fashion. I used to regularly stalk the Ralph Lauren and Lauren Ralph Lauren section in Macy’s and Dillard’s back when shopping at the mall was a thing. Do people still shop in malls? I should do that one day for old times’ sake.
I loved the RL style, especially his fall/winter collections. I still have this tweed jacket that I purchased a gazillion years ago. RL clothes are so classic and so well made, that they last nearly forever! Hard to see in the photos, but my jacket had a mix of beautiful navy, burgundy, gray, and black in the weave. I must have purchased it shortly before this trip to San Francisco. That’s the trip where I was stunned to see a sign on the interstate advertising a tour of the Winchester Mystery House. I had just watched an HGTV show about that home a few weeks before, so we hightailed it off the interstate to tour it before traveling on to San Fran. (Pssst: Read more about the home in this previous post: The Winchester Mystery House.)
I’m not sure when Ralph Lauren first moved into designing for the home, but he got me there, too. The blue and white bedding I chose for my guest room was Ralph Lauren.
It has held up beautifully all these years.
It was Ralph Lauren who taught me that it was okay to mix plaids. I was amazed and delighted when I saw how beautifully the different plaids and tartans worked together on this gorgeous sleigh bed.
Ralph is a master at pairing fabrics that you would never expect to work well together. They don’t just work well, they are beautiful!
When I fell in love with this tartan bedding from Williams Sonoma, inspired by all those beautiful RL bedrooms I had seen over the years, I decided to try pairing a couple of different tartans for my own bed. The plaid Euro pillow covers are from Ralph Lauren’s Duke Devonshire Tartan collection.
I added a beautiful down-stuffed, wool pillow from that collection, as well.
It was a splurge and the most I’ve ever paid for a small accessory/throw pillow, but it’s one of my favorite pieces, so no regrets. It also helps bring out the dark green in the red, black, and green tartan bedding.
Over the years, I’ve added a few Ralph Lauren books to my collection of fashion books. Recently, I came across the book, Ralph Lauren: A Way of Living. The few photos I saw online convinced me to buy it. It arrived today and I love it!
The first thing you notice about the book is its size and weight. At 543 pages and 7.6 pounds, it’s a tome! I thought the price was reasonable when I ordered it, but after it arrived, I think it’s a steal! If you know anyone who loves beautiful traditional decor and style, this book would make an excellent Christmas gift. (Book is available for a great price here: Ralph Lauren A Way of Living.)
Here’s a brief snippet from the description of the book online:
Ralph Lauren: A Way of Living offers an in-depth look at all the places Lauren calls home, from a sprawling ranch in Colorado and an island retreat in Jamaica, to a Fifth Avenue penthouse overlooking Manhattan’s Central Park, a seaside home in Montauk and a country estate in Bedford. Lauren’s homes are deeply personal expressions of his vision for living; captivating imagery is complemented by essays and descriptions written in his own words that intimately express the meaning of home and share inspiration and anecdotes for each residence.
Have you ever ordered a book based on its cover or a couple of photos that you saw online, only to discover when it arrived that the photos you had seen online were pretty much the best parts of the book? It’s really disappointing when that happens. Well, that’s definitely not my experience with this book! There’s not a single page that didn’t wow me and make me want to linger and examine every single detail. Whoever chose the photos for this book knew what they were doing and gave us our money’s worth!
This is a book I will pick up over and over again, and I think it’s going to be one that I’ll want to read cover to cover.
Ralph Lauren is so talented! He could decorate any home, from prestigious estates to rugged ranches to humble beach cottages.
This is not one of those books where the pictures are so small you struggle to make out the details. Most of the pictures fill the entire page, and many of the photos span over two full pages.
I love so many decor styles; it would be a dream to have both a mountain cottage and a beach cottage to decorate. I am living vicariously through the images in this book!
Have you ever seen a tartan highboy? I can’t wait to read more about this piece! Once I complete my Tablescape Thursday post for tomorrow, I am diving in!
So many beautiful rooms!
I’ve always loved richly paneled rooms, and no one decorates those rooms better than Ralph Lauren!
Love this room so much! I would feel like I was on vacation every day. So many beautiful rooms and this is just a small sampling of all the gorgeous rooms in this wonderful book!
This book is filled with a lot of beautiful and unique ideas for decorating all kinds of rooms, no matter your style. The colors aren’t really coming across in these photos, but hopefully, the pictures I’m sharing from this massive 543-page book will give you some idea of how beautiful the rooms are.
I love the exterior views and garden scenes that are included!
A beautiful spot for dining!
This book has a special “Visual Index” at the back. It’s a great way to quickly find a photo or room that you remember seeing and want to refer back to. I can see myself using this section of the book in the future to quickly find a room again. Once this book arrived today, I knew I had to share it with you. I feel like a tremendous amount of thought went into the design of this book, including the stories and images that were chosen to be included. Again, you’ll find this beautiful book available for a surprisingly reasonable price here. Ralph Lauren: A Way of Living.
See you tomorrow for Tablescape Thursday!
RL doesn’t work for me here in SWFL but I wish he would offer something in my tartan (Buchanan). How is your broken hand healing? I’m betting it is hard to be away from the kitties and your family. When do you head back to Ohio? Whenever it is, I wish you safe travels. Holidays will be different this year for you.
Still not well, I guess it just needs more time to heal. Not sure. Yes, I expect a lot of chaos with boxes and paper everywhere. Ha!
Did you visit a Doctor here in Atlanta to see if you had another fracture?
No, haven’t had time. I may have to do that next week.
This post tickled me. Are you on the Golden Gate Bridge? Many years ago when I was in San Francisco I was surprised that it wasn’t actually gold. I believe that’s the same RL blazer that I wore for years including in SF. Also visited the Winchester House. Although the house was crazy the stained glass was incredible.
Yes, and it was super windy. I know, all that Tiffany glass was beautiful! I wish I could have taken photos inside.
That’s the 2nd reference I’ve seen in the last 2 days, out of decades of not thinking about it! Weird! RL is so classic. It’s funny that my teens and their friends all wear it and it’s what they ask for for Christmas!
Have a great week!
The tweed jacket looks great on you. RL is Classic. I have a few pieces of RL that I purchased long ago. I saw that book just weeks back at HomeGoods and almost bought. HomeGoods has started selling a lot of books since early Summer and I have purchased a few. The price of books are much less than at bookstore.
I have a very similar photo on the GGB, & I was also being buffeted by the wind!
I’ve been a longtime RL fan, too. We had the blue/white bedding in our first home & my sons had RL plaid bedding, growing up. Every autumn, I carry my late 1980s blackwatch plaid satchel handbag. My husband bought it for me when we really couldn’t afford it. I treasure it, so on a few occasions when a woman has spontaneously offered to buy it, I’ve declined!
Btw, I’m a dog person, but I think your kittens are ADORABLE!
I have always loved Ralph Lauren, his style is so beautiful and creative. Years ago we were in NYC and stopped by Brooks Bros. to buy something and were speaking to an older salesman. Somehow RL’s name came up and he said: He worked here before he started all his businesses. He started out with ties. Smart Kid.” Ha, that still makes me laugh.
If you ever get to Paris, check out the RL store there. Incredible!
Susan, I have prayed daily for your hand to heal & have thought a lot about feelings you might be experiencing being away from Oh., family, & kitties.
Having personally lived in Atlanta & in Oh. I believe I may sense some of the mix of what you might feel in the quiet moments being drawn between homes.
I too am the smitten kitten when it comes to R.L. I cannot part with any of my
linens & even had my credit card call my hotel in Chgo. while shopping when
they grew suspicious of why there were so many trips for R. L. purchases when I
did not reside there. Of course it was always me repeatedly returning for
“one more thing” & they laughed on the other end. I do miss the days of dept.
store shopping, especially at holiday time. Be safe, be well, know you are
appreciated.
Honestly…there are times…I truly wonder…”is Susan my soul sister??!!??” Ralph Lauren’s book is on my settee in my new dressing room…I bought it upon release and have “followed him” from the beginning…yikes…guess that means…I’m one of his oldest groupies… I JUST purchased (on closeout)..from “BELK” his brown “Herringbone quilted Bedspread”…yep, sweet dreams. franki
Long time RL fan here, still have umteen sets of his 90’s-era printed sateen sheets. They are so much more beautiful than anything made today and suit my style always. There is a thriving secondary market for RL bedding on eBay that can be very useful when replacements are needed. I hope the current minimalist linen trend runs it’s course soon and Lauren’s fabulous prints return.
Thank you to alerting me to this new book, which I just added to my wish list.
Susan,there is a great documentary called VERY RALPH on HBO MAX all about RL and his life and times. Beautiful scenes of his clothes, rooms, and family. Check it out!
Beautiful pictures. There’s nothing like a classic blazer that lasts for years. I have tried to locate the pine cone sheets in the picture with the Williamsburg picture with no success. Can you share where you got them? Thanks.
Yes, definitely classic. I guess I’m not, never owned anything by RL…but then I’m not a brand buyer. I buy what I like and wear it forever. Sandi
Hi Susan, This is a random request. I have enjoyed following you for several years and I always get really good ideas. Years ago you put a travel makeup bag (4 or 5 compartments) on one of your blogs. I bought it and traveled all over the world with it. Now, it’s old and tired (as I am) and I need to buy another one. I googled the brand but did not find the one I have. Do you remember it? Is there any kind of search on your blog? Thanks, Cindy
Hi Cindy, I’ve purchased a few over the years for myself and for my DIL. I’ll link them below. I noticed the last one that I’ve linked below says that it’s currently not available. (I do have a search box on the blog; it’s on the sidebar. It may only be visible while a desktop or laptop computer, though.)
Here are the three I’ve purchased over the years. I hope one of these is what you need.
https://amzn.to/4nBBFyl
AND
https://amzn.to/49pwuOr
AND
https://amzn.to/432fudh (Says currently unavailable.)
Susan: #1; I continue to crush on how adorable your new kitties are! What a joy and such good company!
#2; giving you advise after me hurting my hand in a bad fall several years ago:
You need to go see a Hand Specialist! It’s possible you’ve done real damage and only a specialist can take care of it for you! So make an appointment please! We love your blog and don’t want anything to happen to you!
I was on the verge of trying to find another Orthopedist to see while here in GA, but today my hand is doing a lot better. I’m supposed to go back for another visit to the same Ortho I saw before soon, so I may wait until that visit. Thanks for that advice, Judy! I really did a number on my poor hand when I fell.
Like you, I am a big RL FAN.When we moved to Atlanta in the mid 80’s the first room I decorated was a guest bedroom that was dubbed “Ralph’s room”. The paisley and plaid was a favorite of mine.I even put a Christmas tree decorated in brown ornaments,small pheasants,and brass horns up that year.Fast forward…2025…I still have most of the items although they are in storage. I simply cannot part with them! Can’t wait to see the book !
You’ve convinced me, I’m going to order that right now. I’m telling myself it’s going to be for a Christmas gift but it won’t surprise me when I get it if I decide it’s for me!
I’m taking mine with me back to Ohio…can’t wait to read it this winter! It’s a gorgeous book!
The Dillard’s in the mall by me that is still thriving still has a small Ralph Lauren clothing department. It’s nothing like it used to be, in the era you are showing that is so gorgeous. But you can still tell that it is Ralph Lauren, despite some modernization. Some friends of lucked upon a purchase decades ago that is envious. There was a large high-end department store closing in town, and they were selling all of their furnishings. Their large Ralph Lauren department had some beautiful armoires where they displayed things in the Ralph Lauren style. They bought all of those pieces and their large home can handle using them. So pretty.
That was an awesome find! Almost all the high-end furniture stores here have closed. We used to have 7-8 that were very popular and had a great business. I guess people quit buying higher-end traditional furniture. The large RL store that used to be in Lenox Mall in Atlanta closed several years ago. I think they only carried clothing, but I was shocked when that happened since they had been a staple there forever.