"Very Ralph" is a sentimental tribute to Ralph Lauren, who founded a multifaceted fashion, home design, fragrance and lifestyle brand empire, including the iconic Polo brand.
The best parts of the documentary are the segments about Ralph's early days growing up in the Bronx and how he built his business from scratch. He describes falling in love with his wife, Ricky, and living in a tiny, bare apartment under the El train, finding stylish decor pieces at thrift shops and living a simple life pursuing their interest in art and design. The director does a good job examining how Lauren launched his business in men's ties and suits, and subsequently created of one of the world's most successful, iconic lifestyle brands. Ralph Lauren's name instantly conjures up visions of unstudied luxury, glamour and good taste, and really, the imagery of old-money WASP elite Americana. He is a huge American business success story, and he seems very modest, self-effacing and very family-oriented to boot. He and his wife still seem completely in love and devoted to one another and their family, and they look great too.
"Very Ralph" is overly long, however, and some of it is very beautiful to look at but kind of boring (which some people might say about his clothes). The movie touches on Lauren's use of prominent black models like Tyson Beckford as the face of his brand in the '90s, which was seen as groundbreaking, and how Polo became a symbol of success and luxury to people who couldn't afford the stuff.
"Very Ralph" would have been more interesting if it focused more on Lauren as a business innovator and brand marketing genius, which I think he truly is. It would be more interesting as a business story and not so much as a glowing tribute.
