Getting access to the Palazzo Ralph Lauren is more than a priviledg… it means that we manage to enter the RL private mansion located in the center of Milan only 50 members have access to. In addition, we got our hands on the RL888, the first round and ultra feminine timepiece Ralph Lauren imagined thinking about the New-York Upper East Side woman. Let’s embark to a memorable journey…
When a secret club takes place in the heart of Milan…Think about Milan in the mid-1950’s with paved streets, vintage cars and hidden places. Walking down the right streets of the Italian capital in 2016 can give you this exact feeling… wondering what can be found behind the tall walls you are passing by in disbelief. Built in 1981, the Palazzo Ralph Lauren is one of those. A massive dark door deprived of a number or an inscription does not allow an ounce of imagination for the person standing on the other side to think about what he or she can stumble upon.
Acquired by Ralph Lauren in 1999, the Private Club located on Via San Barnaba facing the Guastalla gardens is for members only. On rare occasions, when the magical doors of the 12’000 square meters concept opens to priviledged non-members, you close your eyes and feel at home. Diving into the world of Ralph Lauren, you can feel the same atmosphere, smell the same perfume, admire the same style crawling on the velvet couch waiting to discover more… That same atmosphere you find entering the New York flagship, the Parisian hotel particulier, the Japanese store or any RL labeled place.
Cosy but spacious at the same time, one room hides another one. The outside terrace on the inside of the private Palazzo offers a perfect place to have lunch in the patio facing Milanese gardens. The high ceilings, marble stairs, velvet furniture and stacked books are the perfect Ralph Lauren mood to make you feel at home. His home !By private club : the Palazzo Ralph Lauren means Members Only and only the members can get new ones in. The happy few or « 50 chosen ones » get the priviledge of seeing the collection in advance and can get access to private collections specifically made for them. The whole philosophy behind this inner circle is that RL Members need to feel at home. If they want a custom-made piece, the Palazzo provides a service for it. If a member wants a piece of jewelry made with their own stones, it’s possible.
As Luc Perramond, CEO of the watch and jewelry department at Ralph Lauren points out, « Here, clients can feel things ; it triggers them emotion. They don’t want to feel stressed or pressured in any ways. » As a matter of fact, anything is possible. The Pallazo has enough rooms, floors and private salons to play hide and seek for hours. It even became the European headquarters of the American brand. Therefore, if a client needs an answer or has a request : he or she can have it right away. Because after all… time is luxury !
Birth of an icon…Unveiling their latest watch collection in their newly appointed office, the European Ralph Lauren team took pride in presenting the RL888 as the first Ralph Lauren timepiece with a round case. Imagined for women, the new collection directly echoes the address of the Madison Avenue Store. Inspired by the Upper East Side Woman who shops on Madison Avenue exclusively, Ralph Lauren did the watch thinking about her. Sensual, organic and feminine, the RL888 comes in all metals from steel to gold, set with an optional bezel paved with 60 diamonds and a case diameter of 32 or 38 mm. The white dial is lacquered and polished with printed numerals and the watch doted of a quart movement has Breguet-style hands to indicate the time. The most important part is the variety of bracelets made interchangeable to adapt a woman’s look, desire, style or nail polish !
Unique and precious…To make it as precious as its gemsetting is, six hundreds hours are required to set, mount and make the High Jewelry version of the RL888. Paved with 414 baguette diamonds, 159 black spinels, 13 brilliant cut diamonds and 1 rose-cut, the RL888 HJ weights overall 17.31 carats « celebrating the world of luxury » claims Ralph… Loyal to the DNA of the brand, the RL888 shows art-deco elements on the dial mixing Roman and Arabic numerals. The triangle cut of the spinels outlining the dial with a repeated motif and diamonds on the adjustable link bracelet echoes a timeless and emblematic style : so Ralph, so Lauren. We so love it !
