HBO’s VERY RALPH explores the genesis of designer Ralph Lauren’s brand and cultural impact. Photo: Les Goldberg, courtesy Ralph Lauren.

“I hate fashion. But I had the eye.”—Ralph Lauren.

During the Sixties, when most of us were sporting tie-dye shirts and hanging peace symbols around our necks, young Ralph Lifshitz from the Bronx yearned for wider ties and special cut collars on his shirts.  Dubbed a “future millionaire” by his high school cronies, the snappy dresser styled and later custom tailored his wardrobe to match that of his favorite Hollywood stars–Humphrey Bogart, Gary Cooper and, most notably, Fred Astaire and Cary Grant.

By  1964, Ralph Lifshitz had fine-tuned the cut and provenance of the clothes and accoutrement he would wear, design and curate in order to manifest the lifestyle he aspired to. With his eyes on the prize, he started simply… with ties…then shirts, Menswear, Women’s Wear and home goods.  It was not long before American dreamer Ralph Lifshitz transformed into Ralph Lauren, a lifestyle designer driving vintage automobiles and a multi-billion-dollar global brand.

Man-about-town Ralph Lauren enjoying life in his fifties in one of his classic cars. Photo: Les Goldberg, courtesy HBO.

“Even as a young man, I had a story,” recalls Ralph Lauren in Susan Lacy’s new feature-length documentary, Very Ralph premiering on HBO tonight, Tuesday, November 12, 2019, 9:00 – 10:50 p.m. ET/PT. (Check listings for additional HBO play dates and availability on HBO On Demand and streaming via HBO Max.)

Susan Lacy, the Emmy®-Award winning creator and former executive producer of the PBS American Masters series, is now based at HBO where she has, in short order, produced and directed a stunning profile of Oscar®-winning activist Jane Fonda in Five Acts, and an intimate portrait of film director Steven Spielberg. (Both reviewed here in FrontRowCenter.)

In Very Ralph, Lacy’s latest film for HBO, she turns her camera on 80-year-old fashion icon Ralph Lauren, who, it seems, is a credibly contented family man approaching his sixth decade in business with very few skeletons in his closet. He admits to never going to fashion design school; and he does not draw or sketch designs but creates (styles and builds) his fashion and lifestyle collections collectively with his dedicated staff by this side.

With the big picture in mind, he orchestrates the backstory, clothing and product design, and marketing scenario for his collections much the way a film director, veteran film producer, costume or set designer approaches the making of a film. Lauren’s unorthodox road to success in the fashion design industry and the American cultural landscape piggybacks his artistic vision and business savvy into  classic lines of clothing and home furnishings that continually  refresh his iconic American brand.

Ralph Lauren chills with his sons, Andrew and David, at his beloved family hideaway in Amagansett, circa 1972. Photo courtesy HBO.

Although Very Ralph is sketchy about the obstacles young Ralph Lifshitz faced as he climbed the ladder of success–from wide ties in the USA to Knighthood in the U.K.–the film does have a lot to say about Love. Ralph Lauren is admittedly a man in love…not only with American culture and the opportunities it has afforded for his unique manner of artistic expression, but also with his gorgeous wife and muse of 55 years, Ricky; with his parents, siblings and his three kids; his dedicated staff; and the comfort and amenities that his stylishly curated homes, home office and flagship store in Manhattan have to offer.

And, it seems, Ralph Lauren’s affection for family, friends and colleagues is amply reciprocated.  In Very Ralph, director Susan Lacy makes good use of her talent for amassing an articulate roster of notables to help tell Lauren’s story. The film is papered with reflections from family members and colleagues from fields of design (Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Karl Lagerfeld); publishing (Tina Brown); photography (Bruce Weber); fashion (Anna Wintour, André Leon Talley); home furnishings (Martha Stewart); and filmmaking (Joel Schumacher).  Models Naomi Campbell and Tyson Beckford celebrate Ralph Lauren as an early champion of diversity on the runway. And then there are the outliers like Woody Allen (a fan of Lauren’s corduroy pants); documentarian Ken Burns (who finds common ground in Lauren’s evocation of America’s heritage); and Hillary Clinton.

Ralph Lauren, formerly Ralph Lifshitz, as seen in Susan Lacy’s VERY RALPH. Photo: Les Goldberg, courtesy HBO.

Very Ralph will have a long shelf life in college and university classes focusing on Fashion Design and Marketing, as well as American Studies.  And if you regularly wear POLO RALPH LAUREN Menswear or sleep with Ralph Lauren’s HOME bedding collection, the film will give you more than enough incentive to continue supporting and buying his brand.

Executive Produced by Graydon Carter for HBO Documentary Films and Pentimento Productions, Very Ralph debuts on HBO tonight, Tuesday, November 12, 2019, 9:00 – 10:50 p.m. ET/PT. (Check listings for additional HBO play dates in the days and weeks ahead and its availability on HBO On Demand and streaming via HBO Max.)–Judith Trojan