[FortGreene]

I know that Ralph Lauren makes clothes under 58 different labels, and that stuff is probably sold and resold into hundreds of different lines. This question is about Polo.

There’s the regular Polo line with the awful logo stitched onto the chest. Good or bad, I don’t wear labels so I avoid it. But there seems to be a higher class of Polo. No logo, made in Italy, clearly of better parentage than the stuff with the logo. Not quite Purple Label but a step or two in that direction.

The difference is clear when you have the jacket, shirt, whatever, in your hand, but this stuff has a regular Polo label, it’s advertised as Polo without any distinction, and there’s no marking or anything else that indicates it’s belongs to a different breed.

Am I right? Is there a name for this Polo Plus line? Can I identify it if I’m shopping online?

Many thanks.

 

[Peak and Pine]

Not aware of any different name to Polos made in Italy, but either by law or consensus any clothing not made in the USA has its country of manufacture tagged somewhere inside. Maybe look for that? My favorite contemporary jackets and blazers are the made in Italy Polos, known by this interior designation...

 

[oxford cloth button down]

There is a tiering of quality that is not labeled. I don't know how you'd identify online without looking at country of origin. You can find the type of Polo (Hickey Freeman, Conreliani, Crockett & Jones) that the OP is looking for in their flagship stores, the next step down is department store, and then finally outlet stores.

 

[Woofa]

I don't know of any polo plus line. From your question it seems you are asking specifically about the short sleeved shirts (now known by any maker as a polo.). And I think you are asking about the Ralph Lauren blue label. It would be nearly impossible to clarify all of the Ralph Lauren labels used over the decades to include shoes, tailored clothing etc. As these have been made by many different makers. There are entire threads on TOF dedicated to this.
Now, if you are asking about short sleeved shirts and if they have the blue polo label then I don't know of any ones that were made in Italy and of obviously higher quality. If you can get us some pics of the two you are comparing perhaps we can track this down further. Fyi, Ralph Lauren does make short sleeve shirts, made in italy, under their purple label which are generally not known by the public. Those are higher quality and more expensive.

 

[Andy]

FortGreene:
You'll get some knowledgeable answers here.

Just some comments from me: There is a Polo/Ralph Lauren Purple Label that is a notch higher than the regular Polo. Often it's distinguished by a full color Polo Pony logo or a different logo!

And the reason that the Polo Pony Logo has gotten so big is that when Ralph started doing the uniforms for the US Open tennis and Wimbledon is so the logo could be seen on TV!

 

[FortGreene]

Thanks for the info. Just to clarify a few things:

-I’m not in any way trying to implicate Purple Label in any of this. I realize that Purple Label, probably my favorite line of casual shirts, is a different animal.

-I’m referring to many pieces of clothing other than short sleeve shirts. I’ve seen that damn logo on every kind of clothing known to man and as I write this, Ralph is probably trying to the damn thing sewn onto the black suits worn by the Secret Service.

-Mr. Kazak, where would I look for the “16 of 18” label?

Once again, many thanks.

 

[Peak and Pine]

-Mr. Kazak, where would I look for the “16 of 18” label?

The 16 of 18 reference is actually from my post. It's the top of a screen grab from an auction site that I failed to crop properly. The label itself occurs on all Italian Polo suits, jackets and blazers on the inside on the opposite side of the jacket from the main Polo label, which occurs under the breast pocket on the left side. Lauren has been producing certain dress items in Italy for 20 years or more and using this label. I have a number of these, but none were so handy to photograph as grabbing a shot of someone else's.

After seeing a few pieces in person, you'll be able to tell if it's made in Italy without seeing the Made in Italy label because the stitching on the main label is unusual, it uses transparent thread.

A couple of years ago Polo switched its label, getting rid of the rectangle and changing fonts to a Fenice-like font which for years they have used in their print advertising. I have not acquired any Polo clothing since the label change so don't know if the Made in Italy label I showed you above is still in use.

 

[oxford cloth button down]

An old thread but on topic. You will them reference Blue label Ralph Lauren for the higher quality Ralph products that are not Purple Label. This is what I was referring to above and what I believe the OP is referring.

Ralph Lauren Brand & Label Pecking order

Can anyone definitively rank the various Ralph Lauren brands and label colors? Polo by Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren Purple Label Ralph Lauren Black Label Blue Label Lauren by Ralph Lauren Polo Jeans Co. RRL RLX Rugby Chaps Club Monaco Polo University Polo Denim Green Label Silver Label Am I...

www.askandyaboutclothes.com

 

[William Tran]

I have 1 shirt with no logo. That's the only time I've seen a Polo RL shirt without a logo.