A fascinating and comprehensive look into the life of American fashion designer Ralph Lauren, now with an afterword.

“Deep-dish...sharp-clawed...honestly admiring.”—New York Times

There are at least two Ralph Laurens.

To the public he's a gentle, modest, yet secure and purposeful man. Inside the walls of Polo Ralph Lauren, though, he was long seen by some as a narcissist, an insecure ditherer, and, at times, a rampaging tyrant.

Michael Gross, author of the bestsellers Model and 740 Park, lays bare the truths of this fashion emperor's rise, and reveals not only the secrets of his meteoric success in marketing our shared fantasies, but also a widely unknown side that's behind the designer’s chic façade.