The Official RRL Thread

[urbanwoodsman]

What's your price range?

 

[henryfool3]

Trying to stay below 500.

 

[RandJG1]

Hear hear.

The site is truly a poor representation of the clothes and not a good face for the company itself.

A shame really.

i work in the business. From my perspective, they have chosen a brand feel that is idyllic. No real people wearing it. And the product is stylized to live up to the brand. The problem is of course that the products don't look like real life. So its hard for a buyer to judge how it looks online and make a purchase. I bought the buffalo leather jacket from last fall and online it was dark and looked patinated. But the one you bought looked squeaky clean and new. When i asked about it they said i could use water or leather conditioner to darken it. They were trying to show the ideal state, that lived up to the brand. Part of me can appreciate the vision but i am often disappointed when it shows up at my house. Some times the item isn't even the same. I bought the embroidered vest "sons of the west" back in the day and the picture showed a vest that said "salt flats" or something way cooler. They often take the vision prototype and stick it online even when the real product had to change for whatever reason. What I've found is that these big corporate companies really don't have it all figured out. This website has problems all the time. You'd think they have it all figured out. They don't.

 

[whereeaglesdare]

You can't put misleading photos on your web shop. It's retail 101 of what not to do. All you are going to do is annoy your customer base and drive people away from your brand.
I mean if that is their idealised version of the product or how they think it could look after wear, then you at least need a before and after shot.

 

[bobbo28]

So I'm looking for some advice from some like minded folk.

I tend to wear boots daily. I've got some engineers, RRLs actually, and some Irregular by Zip Stevenson tie boots.

I'm looking for something new. Well made, not too ridiculously expensive, and damn comfortable out of the box. Figured I'd ask here and see if anyone has some suggestions.

Much appreciated.

I have probably a dozen pairs of boots in rotation and recently discovered the Shoto brand... I think they are carried exclusively at Barneys. I have the distressed Brown boots (not a fan of the other styles but these are dope)... Very good looking and EXTREMELY comfortable. They run about one size large.

https://www.barneyswarehouse.com/pr...MIhrK_rKuJ1gIVD7bACh2_JgA-EAQYASABEgJPg_D_BwE

I also highly recommend the RM Williams Chelsea boot in brown suede... It has a bit of a stacked heel and they wear harder on your feet than the Shoto's but they're boots you'll have forever. RMW's run true to size.

 

[henryfool3]

I have probably a dozen pairs of boots in rotation and recently discovered the Shoto brand... I think they are carried exclusively at Barneys. I have the distressed Brown boots (not a fan of the other styles but these are dope)... Very good looking and EXTREMELY comfortable. They run about one size large.

https://www.barneyswarehouse.com/pr...MIhrK_rKuJ1gIVD7bACh2_JgA-EAQYASABEgJPg_D_BwE

I also highly recommend the RM Williams Chelsea boot in brown suede... It has a bit of a stacked heel and they wear harder on your feet than the Shoto's but they're boots you'll have forever. RMW's run true to size.

Thanks! Will check em out.

 

[henryfool3]

Anyone have any experience with Officine Creative? They've got a few pairs that look pretty good and comfortable. Wondering about comfort, quality and sizing.

 

[Cooly]

You can't put misleading photos on your web shop. It's retail 101 of what not to do. All you are going to do is annoy your customer base and drive people away from your brand.
I mean if that is their idealised version of the product or how they think it could look after wear, then you at least need a before and after shot.

Speaking of misleading ... they could sell a lot more purple label items if they didn't use models or dressed the clothes like normal people wear them.

I go to Mr Porter to see the true potential of how Purple or other labels can be worn.

For example, they have some awesome cashmere knits, but the RL site has the models wearing them with nothing on underneath with nipples showing through (wtf??); however, the mr Porter site has them wearing with some great dark denim and a pea coat and it looks great ...

 

[doctorman]

i think RRL does this intentionally. it's like a casino - the unpredictable rewards of occasionally getting an item that matches its online photo keep our behavior going. it gets the conversation going and deepens the brand's exclusivity and intrigue.

with all the frustration and exasperation, it doesn't prevent us suckers buying their $400 shirts. with all the inconsistent sizing and their poor photo representation embarrassments, we continue to buy more and more.

 

[McSp]

Anyone have any experience with Officine Creative? They've got a few pairs that look pretty good and comfortable. Wondering about comfort, quality and sizing.

I own three Officine Creative boots and I more then happy, if you are looking for boots or shoes that look good, high quality and comfortable this is your brand. They run a bit big but my advice is to get your normal size and have a comfortable fit (just right, not too much). I also know Shoto, both Italian brands, but my final choice is definitely for Officine Creative.

 

[henryfool3]

I own three Officine Creative boots and I more then happy, if you are looking for boots or shoes that look good, high quality and comfortable this is your brand. They run a bit big but my advice is to get your normal size and have a comfortable fit (just right, not too much). I also know Shoto, both Italian brands, but my final choice is definitely for Officine Creative.

Thanks! Appreciate it.

So I wear a 10 but they only have a 10.5 or 9.5. Which way should I go?

 

[keepondigging]

I too am of the thought that the website issues contribute to the overall mystery and cult status of the brand. RRL is just plain hard and awkward to get a hold of. Unless you're doing anything less than going to a flagship store or Polo mansion (and paying full RRP in the process), tracking down exactly what you want is quite difficult. The hunt for the pieces is almost part of the allure in a way though. The only problem is I'm not sure if Ralph can afford to go this exclusive route with RRL for much longer. The hardcore fans will always be there, but can they sustain the brand off of that demographic alone? RRL has been on the chopping block for a few years now and it would be a shame to see website inconsistencies contribute to its death.

 

[McSp]

Thanks! Appreciate it.

So I wear a 10 but they only have a 10.5 or 9.5. Which way should I go?

For sure I would go for 10.5 but it's personal, I don't care if they run a bit big or they look a bit longer then my other boots. To the contrary I like that way, I fell they get more character. But again it's personal.

 

[double00]

RRL will be done when heritage/americana/western stuff loses cache, which it will. at that point it will be a liability and the emphasis at PRL will be Prep, or Equestrian, or Sport, or whatever...

but Uncle Ralphie seems to be personally committed and seems to have genuine love for those modes and motifs, so it will still be there in mainline Polo, and when the wheel turns back around they will bring back that line and call it something else.

 

[aquila49]

You can't put misleading photos on your web shop. It's retail 101 of what not to do. All you are going to do is annoy your customer base and drive people away from your brand.
I mean if that is their idealised version of the product or how they think it could look after wear, then you at least need a before and after shot.

Tricky issue here. I don't disagree that image manipulation could alienate consumers, but I wonder if that applies to RRL loyalists.

How many of you would swear off Double RL if you were absolutely certain that Ralph Lauren routinely doctors product photos to make the clothing more attractive?

When I view RRL pieces on the RL website, I assume the photos have been doctored. Yet this knowledge hasn't stopped me from buying or enjoying the brand—it's more of an irritation than a deal-breaker. Having to deal with buttons that fall off a shirt a week after purchase infuriates me far more than idealized imagery.

Is the manipulation of product images dishonest? I work in marketing communications (tech, not fashion) and routinely write copy that portrays client products and services in the best possible light. Is a product description that hypes benefits while ignoring any possible downside that much different from tweaking color saturation and brightness of a photograph?

Take this a step further; if a piece of clothing is photographed being worn by someone, it's usually a professional model who happens to be more attractive than most of us—with a narrow physique that looks good in a Kmart t-shirt.

Is this type of representation misleading? No doubt about it! Dishonest? That all depends on your personal moral compass.

In a society dedicated to hyper-consumerism, everything around us is fake to some degree.

NOTE: I'm expressing my opinions here, not trying to make people buy into a particular stance on a very slippery slope. If I was looking for a fight, I would go to a more appropriate venue—a hockey forum.