With VOGUE celebrating 125 years and RALPH LAUREN celebrating 50, there are questions floating around about how to deal with legacy for the storied old titles and labels of fashion. For Fall 2017, Ralph Lauren drove show attendees two hours (with traffic) north of NYC to the Lauren compound to take in the show at Ralph's garage, dining on Ralph's burgers, amid Ralph's world class car collection. That's a flex. The show was streamed live and shoppable. Some nice interactive tools on the video to save each look as the model walked down the runway. It's a show I was ready to write off as graceless marketing, but you know what? I liked the collection. The full looks in glen plaid and Prince of Wales check were smart, stately variations on a theme. Loved the high-gloss and shimmering textiles used to reference the sleek lines of machines. The precision tailoring was refreshing to see after a week of intentionally outsized proportions. It brought to mind the brand's earlier days. The RL of the "Old Ralph Lauren Adverts" (that's a TUMBLR) days. Sure, this isn't the first time Lauren has taken to his fine auto collection for inspiration, and some of the ballgowns and racing jackets lacked a bit of imagination, but overall I felt something shifted (no pun intended) with this collection. It brought to mind the better days of Ralph. I've always felt the issues with RL have been less the vision and more the execution—how does one keep product and imagery fresh from a brand so utterly familiar? The Fall 2017 show literally drew show attendees into Ralph's world—meticulously crafted, life in the movies made real. While a CEO blowout and reports on RL business have dominated the company's story for the last few years, considering Ralph Lauren in the broader context of its 50-year history is far more interesting. It's a story of ambition. Striving. The seductive power of the American dream. Today, the story has all the leanings of late empire, cracking at the edges—or just wait—maybe ready to rise again. There's the connection to hip-hop. The absolute and sometimes fatal devotion to the POLO brand. And there's this staring investors in the face every day. Will the company revive itself? FashionSET: Ralph Lauren: American Empire. Will definitely be checking out this exhibition of vintage POLO... Backstage images at VAQUERA... BODEGA apologizes to bodegas... AMAZON opens its first fashion imaging studio in INDIA.