Polo by Ralph Lauren, Gstaad-style

By Louise J Esterhazy
Illustration by Gary Hovland

People don’t believe it, but things do happen in the mountains.
On a spring day, I sat out on my deck in this village, looking at the green, green mountains glowing with buttercups; the sapphire blue sky; and the cows, bells rhythmically clanging, roaming up into the Alps. I stared at the prunus trees, their pale pink blossoms floating in the air like snowflakes.

I was just dozing off, ready for a little nap, when the telephone rang. One of my merchant friends had called to inform me that Ralph Lauren was opening a boutique in Gstaad, in a space currently occupied by the shop Les Amis. Willing to do anything to chase a juicy rumor, I rushed down the hill to the pedestrian-only Promenade, the village’s main street, to see the three-story site. And what a sight. On top of the future Ralph Lauren store is a church steeple. I thought, Are they going to ring the bells to bring in customers? It turns out the belfry is mere decoration.

As I wandered along, I mulled over the meaning of Mr. Lauren’s arrival. First of all, he’s going to face formidable competition. In this village of 3,000 year-round inhabitants, there are stores where Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Moncler, Hermès, Lacoste, Cartier, Chopard, Patek Philippe, Rolex and Vacheron Constantin, to name just a few, can be purchased. The famed boutique Lorenz Bach already carries Ralph Lauren.

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Comments

[James]

It's such a pity to notice such arrival again.
The soul of Gstaad disapears slowly but surely. Those brand shops are so boring and the same everywhere in the world.
In place of Bieri we get e fantomatic fashion shop often empty of customers for example.
thank you Cadonau, Dubi,Führer, Romang, Lorstcher, Hanni, to resist to this "bling bling" agression.

[Claudette]

Ralph Lauren's things are Made in China they should not be sold in Switzerland where quality is top of the line.

[fairweather]

Judging by the collections to be seen in Gstaad’s fashion boutiques it seems that store directors either accept items which have been unsuccessful even on sale in London, New York, Paris and Rome, or else they deliberately choose ugly, badly-made, ridiculously-priced clothes knowing that rich kids from Le Rosay with little else to do with their weekly allowance will buy them.

I would recommend boutique Samasi.