Monday, March 01, 2010

Fashion Victim: No, No, No


When I first saw a "big pony" Ralph Lauren polo shirt, my reaction was that has to be fake. Later I was startled to see them on sale at Neiman Marcus and realized that they were horribly real. Today I saw one worn by a visitor to my work and was revolted all over again (hence this post).

The "big pony" shirt is a terrible embarrassment. The only reason to wear one is to broadcast to everyone around you that you are wearing a $100 shirt. There is simply no acceptable reason to buy one of these. Plus: a $100 shirt just isn't that impressive. Sorry. If you wear one of these monstrosities, you are the worst kind of unwitting fashion victim.

With the "big pony" shirt, Ralph Lauren joins Gucci, Chanel, and Dolce & Gabbana in making the most vulgar, gigantic-logo-infested articles of clothing known to man. You don't see Jil Sander, for instance, pulling that crap.

And don't even get me started on the popped collar.

17 comments:

Claire said...

My husband has one; it was given to him as a gift by a Korean uncle. We were sure it was fake until a more fashion aware friend assured us that it's not. He wears it to work (he's a police detective) because, as he says, it makes criminals think that he's a big d*&^.

Peteykins said...

Haw, OK, that's acceptable.

Lazy Media said...

Stephen Colbert had a big pony logo on his USA Olympic cardigan. I'm pretty sure that was a joke.

Peteykins said...

It's no joke. Well, Colbert wearing it was probably a joke.

RandyH said...

Ralph Lauren made a whole line of Olympics clothing that they gave to all of the Winter Olympic athletes and had for sale at the Olympics. All of it had the "big pony" on the chest. You probably saw several media people wearing the jacket if you watched much Olympics coverage. I saw an article somewhere where Al Roker had to cover up the big pony logo with a big piece of tape because NBC didn't want to appear to be endorsing the product.

RandyH said...

Here's the article about the disappearing obnoxious logo among the NBC people at the Olympics...

Peteykins said...

The "big pony" is just such a cynical "read from a distance" move. It's totally grody.

Juliana said...

When all my friends were all "ooohhh I love the Ralph Olympics uni's" I was shocked that none of them remembered his collections 1983-1985 ugh!

Just to spite them I wore a real fisherman knit to the next party, so much for Ralph Lipshitz, please go away and take Calvin Klein- I haven't had an original style thought since 1998 with you.

Lady Wesley said...

OMG, I thought it was just another one of Stephen Colbert's goofs. This truly is awful.

Kelsey said...

Thank you for bringing attention to this travesty. I remember seeing one of these in Nordstrom (and to make it even worse this particular shirt's colors were a hideous fade from yellow to red)and thinking it MUST be a joke. Gross.

John said...

That is truly, truly horrible. Though not as horrible as the Saks page you linked to. The Gucci hat there is oddly fascinating - for some reason it makes me think of the Lady in the Radiator from Eraserhead.

Anonymous said...

Julie Hecht, in her book Do the Windows Open? has a wonderful little dialogue between the principle character and her social climbing realtor. She explains to the (horrified) realtor that she can use a seam ripper to carefully remove the RL logo from her sons' polo shirts. The earnest helpfulness contrasted with shocked reaction of the status seeking realtor is hilarious.

HRH King Friday XIII, Ret. said...

GROSS!

samael7 said...

I'd wear one with an outsized "Mr. Yuck" face instead. Or a giant "radioactive waste" glyph.

But only if I had the opportunity to stand next to a Polo one and say, loudly, "Oooo! Look! I've got one JUST LIKE YOURS! Isn't that funny?!"

Frankensteinbeck said...

I'm going to cry. They charge extra to deface an already - oh, lordy.

But the collar. I didn't see the turned up collar at first because of the 'no' sign. Who would buy this and think it makes them look better?!

okojo said...

I guess in the American Version of "No Exit", instead of Third Republic furniture, (or was it Second Republic?) the actors would be wearing tackiest brands, and Dolce & Gabanna sunglasses, and sitting on Roche-Bobois couches.

If anyone has seen "Jesus Camp" they probably need these shirts to counter balance their hideous interior design taste.

okojo said...
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