CP : Remember the famous scene in "The Great Gatsby," when Gatsby shows Daisy his lavish collection of English dress shirts? She was moved to tears. When I think of your college years, I imagine a similar scene -- but animated by polo shirts. Polos in every color in the sherbet spectrum. Am I right?
RN: I'll never live down my frat-boy period, will I? Yes, between my roommate and me, we came close to owning a polo in every permutation of Ralph Lauren's rainbow, part of an unfortunate pink-and-green phase that I have tried, unsuccessfully, to eradicate from my memory. At least I can say, with all honesty, that I never once flipped the collar up.
CP : Now the polo is ubiquitous. Every designer, from Maison Gap to Atelier Dior, offers some version of the soft-collared, cotton short-sleeved shirt. It is revered by suburbanites, the elderly, hipsters, preppies, gays, rappers, tennis players, Target store employees, parochial schoolchildren and golfers alike. René Lacoste, what hath you wrought?
RN: It really is true: If you hold onto something long enough, it will eventually come back in style. Is that why you've squirreled away those Day-Glo Zubaz all these years?
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