Alan Flusser

From the author of Dressing the Man - the definitive tome on men's fashion - comes this lavishly illustrated and intimately woven fashion biography of the iconic designer Ralph Lauren. As a fashion industry insider, Alan Flusser shows how a young man of modest means and no formal design training went on to become culture's preeminent tastemaker. The book tells the story of a man who relied on his instincts and unique vision to chart his own course. In doing so, Lauren laid the groundwork for the fashion designer business model of the future. Having singlehandedly invented lifestyle merchandising and advertising, the designer's environmental marketed 1983 Home Collection revolutionized the nation's home furnishings industry. His 1986 flagship at Madison Avenue's 72nd Street changed designer retailing forever. Along the way, the married-with-children designer built one of the largest fashion empires while championing the maverick proposition of style over fashion. Using more than 350 photos from Lauren's archive, Flusser takes you from the designer's early inspirations to his renowned men's and women's collections, from his exclusive home designs to his five personal residences and, finally, to his museum-quality car collection. In its behind-the-scenes exploration of his world and vision, Ralph Lauren: In His Own Fashion is nothing less than a primer on the vanishing art of good taste.