How old...

[Connemara]

...is this "Purple Label" shirt? I've never seen this tag before...a precursor to the true RLPL?

 

[mack11211]

Even if the label is purple, it's not RLPL. Just a standard dept store Polo shirt.

 

[VMan]

Does the tag read "Made in Malaysia"?

 

[Edward Appleby]

Originally Posted by mack11211

Even if the label is purple, it's not RLPL. Just a standard dept store Polo shirt.
How do you know? I was under the impression that Purple Label started out as higher-quality Polo items literally with purple labels, and was then spun off into a totally separate line.

 

[Aristocrat]

It's quite suspect that it says "Made in Malaysia"
The other purple label sure looks different from that label.

 

[lee_44106]

Originally Posted by Edward Appleby

How do you know? I was under the impression that Purple Label started out as higher-quality Polo items literally with purple labels, and was then spun off into a totally separate line.


As far as I know, with the first introduction of the Purple label line came the cursive label that we know today. There was never a "trial label", for lack of a better phrase, which denoted higer quality Ralph Lauren goods.

 

[j]

Originally Posted by Edward Appleby

How do you know? I was under the impression that Purple Label started out as higher-quality Polo items literally with purple labels, and was then spun off into a totally separate line.
I think that was the consensus a while back. Andrew Harris had mentioned that he found some items made under the Polo name to higher standards with a somewhat different label, maybe purple in color.

The other thing about this shirt that makes me think RLPL is that stud for the top button like some of the RLPL dress shirts had (have?). Never seen that on regular Polo stuff.

 

[aportnoy]

Originally Posted by j

I think that was the consensus a while back. Andrew Harris had mentioned that he found some items made under the Polo name to higher standards with a somewhat different label, maybe purple in color.

The other thing about this shirt that makes me think RLPL is that stud for the top button like some of the RLPL dress shirts had (have?). Never seen that on regular Polo stuff.

Definitely the case. I have a few cut-away collar shirts that were made in England of Sea Island cotton that predate RLPL and are head and shoulders above anything that Blue Label produced at the time. I also have a plaid 4 button DB suit that carried the designation of "made by hand" on the label that was clearly several levels above the standrad Blue Label suit.

 

[edmorel]

Yes but was any of that pre-"Purple Label" purple label made in Malaysia? I am going to vote that this is not purple label shirt.

 

[aportnoy]

Originally Posted by edmorel

Yes but was any of that pre-"Purple Label" purple label made in Malaysia? I am going to vote that this is not purple label shirt.

Nope. I was only confirming that the there were tiered levels of quality with Polo prior to the introduction of RLPL.

 

[zjpj83]

The first Purple Label was definitely a purple "Polo" label, as depicted in this picture. Whether this particular shirt is indeed that and not a knock off is another question that I cannot answer.