April 29, 2012 |
“I have driven by this wooden fence, which stretches almost 30 miles along his private ranch in the Rocky Mountains, just hoping the day would come when I would get to go inside.” To be quite honest, we feel exactly the same way Oprah does whenever we hear the words “double RL”. We have spent many a lunch break circling the Bond Street flagship, hoping that we would soon be blessed with, if not a glimpse of Ralph and a personal invitation to his Colorado home, then at least our very own London RRL store. And now, to quote Oprah once again, “today, that dream is coming true”. Because today is the day our inbox pinged, or rather bugle called (well, that does sound more ranch-like, no?) with the news that, finally, RRL is coming to our humble shores. That, very soon (in fact, by the time you read this, it will have already happened), we will be blessed with our very own RRL store. In the words of Oprah once more (sorry, but have you seen the interview?): “Wowee! Wowee! Wowee!” To put our excitement into context, a little back history… RRL is Ralph’s casual menswear line. Launched in 1993, it’s inspired by his Colorado ranch, which he purchased in 1982. That basically means a well-edited collection of rugged workwear pieces, denim, leather and flannel, inspired by America’s west. Or, as we like to say, cowboys. Who doesn’t love a cowboy? Who, at some point, hasn’t wanted to emulate a cowboy? Bring a little John Wayne into their day-to-day existence? Take a moment, though, to contemplate Ralph’s devotion to detail. Eleven years to perfect a collection that really is all about how he lives when he’s off duty. He is nothing if not dedicated. To sum up our excitement properly, we’ll, for the last time (we swear), borrow some choice phrases from Oprah and paraphrase: “It is a dream come true to finally see this magnificent place. The beauty and breadth of the store leave me speechless. Around every bend a sight to behold. Everywhere you lay your eye there’s something even more interesting to see.”
RRL: 16 Mount Street, London, W1
by Natalie Dembinska
