This year so many of us are unable to travel to London, so I thought I’d bring London to you, as often as I can. As of today, the city has been thrown into a Tier 3 lockdown, and is therefore closed to those living outside of the Big Smoke. But, two days before the gates to the city came crashing down, I was able to break away from a meeting I had in town to explore my favourite corner of the city during the Christmas season… the Ralph Lauren flagship store on New Bond Street. The store is transformed into a winter wonderland every holiday season, and I feel so grateful I was able to see it in a year where not much has gone to plan. I know so many of you won’t be able to travel into the store this year, so I wanted to give you a proper tour, from top to bottom, and including a very special hot chocolate trolley outside the building. Yes, Ralph Lauren are offering one and all hot chocolates as they pass, in an attempt to restore festive cheer to a city that absolutely needs it right now. Now, I just wish I could scent this post for you, to replicate the heavenly fragrance wafting through the Ralph Lauren store.
Before I catapult you into the world of Ralph, let me first say that I asked people in the know at RL what they are doing different for shoppers this year, specifically those that are house bound or can’t get into their closest stores during various periods of lockdown, etc.
I’m just going to give you the response as I received it…
The Ralph Lauren store experience is now offered to a global audience through a groundbreaking hybrid brick-and-mortar and digital shopping experience– The RL Virtual Experience. This new way to shop allows consumers to virtually step into the elegant world of Ralph Lauren’s most iconic retail spaces in New York, Beverly Hills, Paris and Hong Kong. The virtual store will feature the newest collections, along with antique and vintage offerings, all shoppable from the comfort of home.
The experience will also be available on Snapchat in the coming months. Users will be able to virtually enter our stores through a bespoke Snapchat lens and interact with creative elements and shop select pieces.
In Moscow, the virtual experience will be imagined as The RL Home Chalet, where customers will be able to shop the breadth of the Ralph Lauren collections through a winter-themed experience.
So there, you have it, straight from the top. Times, they are changing, and Ralph, as usual, is ready for it. Everything you see here, in these posts, is available to shop from your local Ralph Lauren website. It helps that the site has just gone into sale, as well, with items up to 50% off! Enjoy the tour. I hope it inspires you for home decor, styling and gift giving. There’s a lot there… but trust me, it’s worth it!
Also, I must say that if you’re looking for the perfect holiday candle this year, buy the Ralph Lauren BEDFORD CANDLE. It actually smells like a Christmas Tree. I am obsessed.
Now, onto the store tour.
Let’s start with home, the basement level of the store and the place I spend the majority of my time when I’m shopping. The Ralph Lauren team create three rooms every season to showcase their homewares, and each season they more or less make me believe I have stepped into a dream home. There is no other shop floor like this in all of the UK. Get ready to swoon.
And now, we step up into the ground floor and first floor of Ralph Lauren, where the men’s clothing takes centre stage.
And finally, the place I’d like to call “my closet…” This is the top floor, the penthouse for womenswear, with a sprinkle of Ralph Lauren Kids!
And there you have it, folks. That’s a look at a Ralph Lauren Christmas in London. I hope it captures at least a slice of the magic. Merry Christmas, everyone!
