The 100-year-old company that invented the rugby shirt has something to say about Ralph Lauren’s attempted hijacking of the game. Canterbury of New Zealand, established in 1904, made the first rugby jersey for a friend of one of the founders, an avid player. The rest was sartorial history. Fast forward to 2005, when Lauren launched his Rugby line replete with skull and crossbones imagery lifted from the team insignia of British educational landmark the Rugby School, where the sport was first played in 1823.

Canterbury, in the midst of beefing up its own off-field offerings and inking an exclusive licensing deal with the school, was beaten at its own game, so to speak »

*Fop Fight: *Dandyism’s Sophistocrat lays some well-coiffured smack down on fake “Bobo Dandys” Patrick McDonald, Fonzworth Bentley, Sebastian Horsley and Pete Doherty. Oh snap! [Dandyism.net]

Departure: Graydon Carter’s former assistant and current Departures Associate Articles Editor Matt Trainor will look to transform Ralph’s site. In other news, polos will still be available in many colors. [WWD, second entry]

Internal Promotion: No major superstar hirings to come at Valentino menswear after he retires—give it a season or two. [Reuters UK]

Calvin, Ralph and Donna—no last names required—are the indisputable reigning troika of mainstream American fashion design. But not according to Tommy Hilfiger. It’s no secret that Ralph looks at Tommy as a sub-par imitation of himself, while Hilfiger has felt his lack of true acceptance from the fashion firmament keenly…

High Octane: A preview of Diesel’s new luxury line Black Gold [Fashion Week Daily]

Endgame: Pick-up artist/sociopath Neil Strauss promises to revise his bestselling The Game and then disappear from the face of the earth. [Neil Strauss Online]

Bargain Hunting: English moped bandits with impeccable taste raid Ralph Lauren, Lulla Bartley, Marc Jacobs and Christopher Kane. [FemaleFirst UK]

Big Shoes Filled: Picking up where Yves Saint Laurent left off. [Telegraph UK]

Bag Men: Poncho conspiracy theory. Do not try this at home. Or anywhere. [Brandish]

Cool Cobbler: Cool Hunting checks in with Aussie shoe maestro Tristan Blair [CoolHunting]

Canadian Geese: Catching up with the half-Canuck design team Duckie Brown. [Canadian Business]

Photography: Patrick McMullan

There were plenty of young bucks in the fashion biz sporting ‘creative’ black tie at the CFDA/Vogue 7th on Sale gala the other night. But Ralph Lauren left ‘em all in the dust. His ensemble consisted of an unbuttoned double-breasted dinner jacket over a black cashmere turtleneck, black velvet jodhpurs, black leather riding boots and a black calfskin equestrian-style belt with a silver clasp and buckles. The effect was pure Errol Flynn. More on Ralph…

Some say Slim Aarons was a terrible snob. The lanky lensman once declared he was only really interested in photographing “attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places.”

But you know what? That’s all we usually feel like looking at.

You started off the week with a tryptophan-induced blue Monday, worked through that inbox of things you dutifully ignored last week and lost $50 on the Packers last night. Well, reward yourself…

Odin/Den: The winter sale is upon us. All Tim Hamilton is 35% off.
199 Lafeyette, 212-966-0026, 330 East 11th St. (Den), 212-475-0079, www.odinnewyork.com

Christopher Fischer: Simple, sleek cashmere and accessories. Ends Saturday.
80 Wooster Street, 212-965-9009, www.christopherfischer.com

Rogan: Stock up on sustainable t-shirts and basics from this year’s CFDA award winner through Monday.
91 Franklin Street, 646-827-7554, www.rogannyc.com

Giorgio Armani: You know you want it.
760 Madison Avenue, 212-988-9191, www.giorgioarmani.com

• *Barking Irons: * Historically influenced hoodies and henleys. Dig in till Sunday.
  161 Bowery, 212-226-1126, www.barkingirons.com
• *John Varvatos: * He’s GQ’s designer of the year and, until Sunday, he’s going cheap.
  260 Fifth Avenue, 212-725-5400, www.johnvarvatos.com

See the online sales…

Guy Talk: Designers sound off on the possibility of a New York menswear-only fashion week. [Men.Style]

Radar Love: Is publisher Maer Roshan patronizing John Varvatos, or is Varvatos patronizing Roshan? [Gawker]

Off Off-Price: Ralph Lauren pulls clothes from discount retailers. [Trading Markets]

Hint Homme: Catching up with Hedi Slimane. [Mode et Utopie]

Cheap Wednesday: Dealfeed refers us to skinny denim discounts. [Racked]

Hardy Outlook: Brit line Hardy Amies ups its retail profile. [DNRNews]

Service with a Smile: Gridskipper reviews the rudest hip retailers in the city. We can’t really relate as we get good treatment everywhere we go—no, seriously. [Gridskipper]

Lang-Term Occupant: Helmut-Langless Helmut Lang store pops up on Washington Street [The Fashion Informer via Racked]

Digital Retail: Fashion Fits—all the fun of folding shirts for minimum wage captured on your desktop. [Slackerjack]

Polo Club: MOTH vet Ralph Lauren snatches up a wing at Bergdorf’s [WWD, subscription required]

New Yorkshire: More on Paul Smith’s love of Leeds. Yes, Leeds. [Yorkshire Evening Post]

Yes, Please: Pick us up something from the NotCot gift guide. [NotCot]

Catching Flack: Try on Distilled’s fatigues. [Refinery29]

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

We’ve been keeping an eye on the dapper Derrick Miller and his brother Kirk since they started their very sharp shoe line Barker Black back in 2005. Derrick, a veteran of Ralph Lauren’s design studio, describes his personal style as “sophisticated, with a touch of fuck you.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. The Millers love to blend their own designs with tailor-tweaked thrift store finds—as Derrick puts it, “all the favorite things in my closet I paid less than 30 bucks for.”

More on today’s MOTH »

Sixties star Steve McQueen’s rugged sportiness, authenticity and innate good taste are such that the likes of Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors have built whole collections around his stylistic legacy (yes, he’s the reason you’re wearing that shawl-collared sweater).

They and other fashion folk routinely pore over photos of the “King of Cool” for inspiration. And while a superb new book of pix—McQueen’s Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon—focuses

mainly on his automotive pursuits, they were such a major part of the actor’s panache this one’s no doubt destined for designers’ libraries as well.

More McQueen and his machines »

Dior Homme

Name Game: Glam-obsessed Roberto Cavalli hires French rock and roll band… um… Rock & Roll to star in his ad campaigns. “Rock & Roll”? Really inventive there, garçons. [FWD]

Join the Hunt: Field and Stream magazine expands its licensing hoping to tap into that juicy casual game hunter/rampaging Vice President market. [DNRNews]

The Oracle of Omaha: Is master capitalist Warren Buffett giving Ralph Lauren his Midas touch? [Seeking Alpha, #11]

New Republic: Simon Kneen, one of the many creative directors and designers responsible for Brooks Brothers recent renaissance, takes over the helm at Gap’s Banana Republic. [AP via Fox Business]

Inside Hollywood: Jude Law, who has starred in several Miramax films, will star in the Weinstein-produced biopic of Halston—a line now owned by… yes, Harvey Weinstein. [Men.Style]

Homme Coming: New ad campaign, shot by Monsieur Lagerfeld, gives us a closer look at Kris Van Assche’s Spring Dior Homme line. [Eye4style]

Box Set: Addicted to Polos? This $5,000 commemorative collector’s trunk should cure that—forever. [Rock Box]

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

It was merely a matter of time ‘till Andrew Saffir snagged his first MOTH. Saffir, one of the best-dressed men in town, is also one of the most visible; he hosts some of the hottest movie premieres in the city as founder of the chic Cinema Society.

At a dinner for Marie Claire magazine at Milk Studios the other night, the former Ralph Lauren exec and Hamptons habitué turned out in a haute hacking jacket and cargo pants combo that radiated sporty elegance.

More on Today’s MOTH »

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

We have always regarded idiosyncratic impresario Andre 3000 (née Andre Benjamin) as one of the most stylish men in modern music. A fitting heir to Jimi Hendrix in many ways, it’s felicitous that Benjamin (who has several acting credits to his name) has long had a Hendrix biopic in the works. Now he’s branching out into fashion with his own line called Benjamin Bixby, inspired by 1930s football players.

More on today’s MOTH »

Continuing with our top-ten New York Fashion Week countdown, we’ve got to tip you in on who we left out. Adam Kimmel was at Pitto Uomo, like so many of the best New York designers. For Kimmel, though, the tradeshow became a personal graduation party, so this year he looses his city privileges this season. Ralph transcends lists, Obedient Sons (love ‘em as we do) took a turn for the slouchy, and Mr. Thom Browne, well, he’s in a class by himself. On with the list…

6. DKNY:

You were still playing Contra when Donna Karen was a growing concern. Retired and now renewed, Karen is still a considerable name and her DKNY (see above) remains a good source for office-proof, stylish essentials. The black cardigan, slate blazer and raincoat are subtly sly and everything else manages to stay within the lines of trend and classic elegance without attracting too much attention. For those of you who tread lightly and carry big sticks. [Men.Style]

And #5 is…»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

In his capacity as a graphic design demigod, Chip Kidd routinely transforms books into objets d’art. In the course of a celebrated career he’s done dazzling dustjackets for everyone from John Updike to Bret Easton Ellis. Some of his work, like the famous dinosaur skeleton he designed for Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, even takes on a life of its own.

More on today’s MOTH»

Like ideas, brands can come from anywhere. All you need is an advertising budget, a storefront and a dream.

It turns out JC Penney has all three. They’re starting up their largest product line ever, American Living, with an ad push unlike anything a department store brand has ever seen.

The line is designed by Ralph Lauren, but the ads are the real show»

Stimulating Ideas: Claudia Schiffer and Joseph Gordon-Levitt reenact Buñuel’s Belle de Jour in this month’s GQ. So that’s why foreign film is important. [Men.Style]

The Wait is Over: At long last, Zubaz pants are back in vogue. Huzzah! [Star Tribune]

“Sock-Gate”: England’s Health Secretary has a lot to learn about proper foot care. [Peterborourgh Today]

Big Game: Join a denim hunter on the trail. [PSFK]

Down Market: The gathering financial storm probably won’t make it easier to get dinner reservations at New York’s better restaurants, but at least your waiter will have a MBA from Wharton. [NYT]

A Pinch of Saffron: Look, we’re as confused about aesthetic and practical value of these “T Takes” mini-movies over at The Moment Blog as the rest of you. But this one here has Saffron Burrows, so… [The Moment]

Dapper Data: We’re backing up to this leather-bound hard drive. [Crave]

Poking Holes: A blogger vents his three-button rage. [Permanent Style]

Spring Scrum: Enjoy this preview of Ralph Lauren’s latest Rugby collection. [Rugby]

Mr. & Mrs. Z: Jay-Z once rapped,”Y’all be frontin’, me give my heart to a woman? Not for nothin’, never happen’, I’ll be forever mackin.” He lied. [US Magazine]

“Why does anyone in New York buy ties fully priced?”: Good question, mate. [Permanent Style]

Team Polo: While the Olympic Torch is struggling to stay lit, Ralph is busy outfitting American athletes. [Reuters]

Party Politics: Pro war. Anti war. Conservative. Liberal. The only thing that really matters is where the candidates stand on beer issues. [Huffington Post]

Fresh Fruit: BR Monogram opens today in the Village. [WWD]

Kempt Kept Men: Thanks to the changing face of Japanese sexual politics you can finally be a geisha. [CNN]

Ralph Lauren has landed a contract with the U.S. Olympic team, outfitting 1500 athletes for the opening and closing ceremonies in Beijing. The past three games were outfitted by Canadian apparel company Roots Ltd., but the committee decided their designs were too informal, and chose the preppy stylings of Mr. Lauren.

As Fashion Week Daily points out, Ralph is getting fairly small fee for the outfitting—“less than $10 million” was as much as the reps were willing to say—but the move will let them make inroads into Chinese markets.

Ah, the rewards of patriotism.

via Fashion Week Daily

Thanks to our friends at GQ, we managed to get our hands on the five-page profile of Marc Jacobs from the May issue, hitting newsstands next Tuesday.

The piece takes a closer look at Jacobs’ transformation from mop-headed shut-in to flamboyant tabloid fodder, as well as his rise to power as creative director of Louis Vuitton. Apparently his secret is ulcerative colitis, a disease that forced him into a restricted diet and ruthless exercise regimen. The piece’s best line is this bon mot: “If Ralph Lauren is a lifestyle, Marc Jacobs is an ethos.” Does that make Tom Ford a nightclub?

More on Mr. Jacobs»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Here making his second MOTH appearance, the multi-talented André Benjamin (aka André 3000) stole the show at the Met Costume Institute’s gala Monday night.

What won us over was his beautifully-cut cream shawl-collared dinner jacket with a subtle tone-on-tone glen plaid pattern, which could be from his Benjamin Bixby line, though it looks a little on the formal side—perhaps Ralph Lauren or Brioni is a better call—worn with Hollywood-waisted dress trousers, velvet evening slippers and a perfectly-proportioned pointed-end black velvet bowtie. His signature flourishes were apparent in the straw fedora, pearl shirt studs and a somewhat faded-looking but nonetheless brassy boutonniere»

Time to brush up on your jai alai skills.

This month’s Esquire features a rundown on the more obscure sports and the Brit-inspired clothes they require. This being Esquire, the labels range from Burberry to Canali to the omni-present Mr. Lauren, but the styles are much more…uniform. White pants, white knits and white sneakers are more or less the uniform from tennis to cricket. Polo isn’t mentioned, but you can probably guess what to wear»

Head to toe madras got a boost this summer from the likes of Ralph Lauren and Thom Browne’s Black Fleece collection. However, the full-on matching madras suit effect is a bit much, we feel, even in this realm.

Trust that old dog Glenn O’Brien to show us how it should be done. His plaids are complimentary but not identical; what’s more they’re obviously well-worn and look as if the fabric might be authentically Indian to boot.

More on the madras»

Photos of the Ralph Lauren-designed U. S. Olympic Uniforms have finally surfaced, and we have to say, we’re pretty impressed. We had held out hope for a preppy Olympic team, and it looks like we won’t be disappointed. From the stark white slacks to the striped cloth belts, these athletes look like they’re heading across the Pacific in yachts. We’re reasonably sure Beijing has never seen anything like it.

Well played, Mr. Lauren. Well played.

For another picture of Mr. Lauren’s work»

Apparently not everyone shares our sanguine take on Ralph Lauren’s Olympic uniforms. In fact, so far the web response to the outfits has been positively bloodthirsty.

Gawker—a reliable snark purveyor—calls out the polo logo for upstaging the Olympic rings. It’s true that the logo makes the branding play a little more shameless than it might have been, but that’s the American way. We’re building a brand here! This is for the good of the nation!

Scrambling for more angry voices, Gawker quotes a commenter on a fairly benign Project Rungay post, saying “They made the team look like a 1948 yacht club.” But, of course, that’s the whole point.

And, in case you were curious about the other, more hallucinatory parts of the pageantry, you can catch a colorful overview here.

We finally got down to Barneys to take a peek at the Benjamin Bixby line from Andre 3000 (née Benjamin), and it’s quite a display. The line doesn’t stray too far from the Lauren party line, but the moves it does make—like the Lindbergh-esque bomber jacket and scarf—suggest a few places Bixby could go once it gets its sea legs. It’s broader and a lot more earnest than the typical preppy fare…which we should have expected, given Benjamin’s wide-eyed enthusiasm.

More importantly, the folks on the floor informed us they’re already restocking. Apparently we aren’t the only ones who are impressed.

Flashing Lights: The European take on workwear is more…fluorescent. [International Herald Tribune]

The Knot: Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen finally make it official. Does this mean they’ll have to stop living in sin? [People]

Mental Sprawl: Forbes counts down the most expensive fictional homes, which is pretty much all we can afford these days. [Forbes]

All Things to All People: Ralph Lauren Rugby, Metropolitan, Michael Williams, and Jared Paul Stern: it’s a Kempt quadfecta! [Luxist]

Vintage lover and Friend-of-Kempt David Hart has been one of our favorite tie men since we saw his scotch-plaid bow ties back in November, but after his UrbanDaddy write-up, we figured it was time to give his wardrobe a closer look.

The sartorial breakdown»

The canvas belt is a well-recognized preppy staple, but it’s always ready for a new version. This one comes from our old friend Mr. Lauren and has the fictitious Rugby university crest all over it.

Of course, the old rule for more formal occasions is to match your belt to your shoes…in which case we’d recommend you track down a pair of espadrilles.

We’d cooled off lately on our effusive love for Kanye, but it turns out all we needed was a good reminder.

Kanye’s performance Wednesday night was enough to win back our interest. The song wasn’t bad, but the chambray shirt, and effortless use of the trucker tux won us over. It also didn’t hurt that he was rocking RRL jeans, which might be our favorite denim product ever.

Of course, he’s made a few good videos in the time since too, but the crucial thing has always been public performance. And, like nobody else in music, Mr. West understands how to dress the part.

Cue the video»

Wildin’ Out: GQ spends some quality time with Olivia Wilde. [GQ]

Raiding the ‘Stache: You cannot stop the mustache. You can only hope to contain it. [Blackbook]

Mr. Lauren in Repose: Ralph Lauren is apparently a Batman fan. [VanityFair.com]

Ghost Ships: Malaysia is suddenly swamped with disused tanker fleets. Real talk. [Daily Mail]

Scott Sternberg has always been good for a quote or two. Case in point: Last time the Band of Outsiders honcho checked in for a serious interview, he ended up dropping gems like, “Style fills the gap between how you see yourself and how you want other people to see you.” (Seriously, marinate on it.) So we’re always happy to listen in…

Most recently, he popped up as part of the Sundance Channel’s Full Frontal Fashion video series, comparing himself to more established icons like Ralph Lauren, J. Press, and Brooks Brothers: “We’re all drawing from the same well. But the filter through which we put it out there, and our personal quirks make it all quite different.” In Sternberg’s case, the preppy lineage comes by way of Jean-Pierre Léaud (he confesses a mild obsession in a separate clip), but Léaud’s not that far off from rugby players and businessmen—or at least not in Sternberg’s eyes.

But for variety’s sake, we’re hoping he doesn’t take up polo.

Ralph Lauren’s take on Americana has had a lightly ironic touch to it, but it’s been getting heavier in recent years.

Case in point: This latest pair of slippers, which tops off a handsome plaid pattern with a pair of playfully kitchy hunting figures. If it were just the gentleman with the long gun, we could take it in stride, but the sight of a Canadian Goose in mid-plummet was almost enough to make us laugh out loud. Which, for a pair of cozy Sunday slippers, is a pretty good quality to have.

Pastoralism: No matter how many times we see it, we never get tired of the “naked girl in a meadow” editorial shot. [Fashion Copious]

Dixieland: Billy Reid walks off with the GQ “Best New Designer in America” prize, possibly while wearing saddle shoes. More on this next week. [GQ Eye]

A Man for Both Seasons: An indepth look at one of our favorite must-haves, Ralph Lauren’s Olympic Committee-mandated gear. [Valet]

Don’t Tell Her: Whatever you’ve got planned for Valentine’s Day, we’re pretty sure it’s going to be less impressive than the Taj Mahal. Just saying. [Neatorama]

The Awl’s Cord Jefferson launched a few shots against preppidom yesterday, singling out J.Crew’s “Plantation madras” button-down and a pair of Ralph Lauren pants in “Old Money Green” as perhaps not the best naming choices in the world.

It should definitely be a wakeup call to a few marketing departments—even if we’d vouch for Mr. William’s niceness, in both the traditional and early 90s hip hop sense of the word—but there’s something else at work here, and it’s worth a little digging to find it.

Allow us to elaborate»