美国国家公共电台 NPR Is Fashion Designer Ralph Lauren Out Of Touch With America?

 

KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:

Ralph Lauren's spring collection is not working for fashion critic Robin¹ Givhan. The title of her review this week in The Washington Post is "It's 2018, Ralph Lauren. Why Do You Think This Look Is Still Cool?" She believes Lauren's signature prep school, country club looks are a little oblivious² to the America of today, and she's with us now to talk about it. Hi.

ROBIN GIVHAN: Hi.

MCEVERS: So you get to go to the unveiling of these lines, right? Describe what it was like to see this new collection come down the runway earlier this week in New York.

GIVHAN: Well, when the lights came up, you know, we saw this really luxurious³ sort of Jamaican resort as a backdrop. And the first model was wearing a blue and white strapless dress, and she was barefoot. And it looked like the kind of wonderful, easy attire⁴ that you'd want to wear when you're at the beach. And then it sort of shifted gears and we moved into a group that was inspired by sailing.

And there were a lot of pieces that were sort of the colors of maritime⁵ flags. An evening gown - the train had the image of a steamboat on the back like something that you might see from a vintage travel poster. And there were also a lot of gentlemen who were wearing navy blazers, blue pinstriped suits, ascots. I mean, it was a cheerful collection for sure, but it was an extraordinarily⁶ polished, controlled, hyper-groomed, almost robotic kind of collection.

And I think what was unsettling is that at this moment in time all of those things that once seemed so glossy⁷ and perfect and aspirational⁸ and very Hollywood have been called into question. We've started to look at them with a jaundiced eye. We're suspicious of them because they've proven to be not only just imperfect, but in some cases quite rotten to the core.

MCEVERS: Isn't this who Ralph Lauren is, though? I mean, this has always been his thing, right? This sort of a preppy Americana is his trademark⁹ in a way.

GIVHAN: I think that is very true. And that's what makes his clothes classic. But it's all about the context in which you're seeing them. You know, I think back to when rappers and hip-hop performers really started to embrace Ralph Lauren. And they put those clothes into a different context. And those clothes spoke¹⁰ to a burgeoning¹¹ new era. When he put his Purple Label super tailored Savile Row-style tailoring suits on the black model Tyson Beckford, we see it in a different way. And I think what is most striking about this collection is that, you know, these garments are not particularly unusual for Ralph Lauren, but the context doesn't seem to be shifting.

MCEVERS: You've got blue blazers. You have ties and scarves with, like, a lot of sailing motif¹² going on. There's even a pair of shorts that are made out of, like, raincoat material. What would you like to see instead in this moment from Ralph Lauren?

GIVHAN: So less stylized models, you know, for one thing. You know, take those clothes and take them outside of what looks to be, you know, an exclusive resort and, you know, put them in a public picnic ground. Put them in a place that feels more readily available to everyone else. You know, make them a little less tightly tailored. Just relax, you know, your grip on how they're perceived.

MCEVERS: Don't make it seem like clothes for the...

GIVHAN: For robots, really.

MCEVERS: ...For the few.

GIVHAN: Yeah.

MCEVERS: I guess the question is, like, for some people listening, so what? It's just clothes. What's the big deal?

GIVHAN: Well, I think the very fact that, you know, we're talking about a company that's worth multiple billions of dollars, a company that dresses so many people and a company that really has defined itself as a representation of Americana in a very sweeping¹³ way...

MCEVERS: Right - dresses the Olympic team.

GIVHAN: Dresses the Olympic team. I think that alone says that this is more than about just what we're putting on our back. It's about, you know, what kind of image we want to present in the public square, to each other, in our offices. I mean, it encompasses¹⁴ all of that. And in some ways, the way that Ralph Lauren has dressed some of the most prominent people in the most prominent times has, in effect, been a way that he's defined what America looks like abroad.

MCEVERS: Robin Givhan, thank you so much.

GIVHAN: My pleasure.

MCEVERS: Robin Givhan is a fashion critic for The Washington Post.

(SOUNDBITE OF BEIRUT'S "AS NEEDED")

1 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

2 oblivious   

adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的

参考例句：

• Mother has become quite oblivious after the illness.这次病后，妈妈变得特别健忘。
• He was quite oblivious of the danger.他完全没有察觉到危险。

3 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

4 attire   

v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装

参考例句：

• He had no intention of changing his mode of attire.他无意改变着装方式。
• Her attention was attracted by his peculiar attire.他那奇特的服装引起了她的注意。

5 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

6 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

7 glossy   

adj.平滑的；有光泽的

参考例句：

• I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
• She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。

8 aspirational   

志同的，有抱负的

参考例句：

• Most of the images that bombard us all are aspirational. 轰击的图像，我们都期望最大。
• Analysts said self-help and aspirational reading could explain India's high figures. 分析师们指出，自助读书、热爱读书是印度人均读书时间超过别的国家的主要原因。

9 trademark   

n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标

参考例句：

• The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
• The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 burgeoning   

adj.迅速成长的，迅速发展的v.发芽，抽枝( burgeon的现在分词 )；迅速发展；发（芽），抽（枝）

参考例句：

• Our company's business is burgeoning now. 我们公司的业务现在发展很迅速。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These efforts were insufficient to contain the burgeoning crisis. 这些努力不足以抑制迅速扩散的危机。 来自辞典例句

12 motif   

n.(图案的)基本花纹，(衣服的)花边；主题

参考例句：

• Alienation is a central motif in her novels.疏离感是她小说的一个重要的主题。
• The jacket has a rose motif on the collar.这件夹克衫领子上有一朵玫瑰花的图案。

13 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

14 encompasses   

v.围绕( encompass的第三人称单数 )；包围；包含；包括

参考例句：

• The job encompasses a wide range of responsibilities. 这项工作涉及的职责范围很广。
• Its conservation law encompasses both its magnitude and its direction. 它的守恒定律包括大小和方向两方面。 来自辞典例句