{"product_id":"genuine-authentic-the-real-life-of-ralph-lauren-isbn-9780060199043","title":"Genuine Authentic: The Real Life of Ralph Lauren","description":"\u003cp\u003eA fascinating and comprehensive look into the life of American fashion designer Ralph Lauren, now with an afterword.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Deep-dish...sharp-clawed...honestly admiring.”—\u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere are at least two Ralph Laurens. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMichael Gross, author of the bestsellers \u003cem\u003eModel \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003e740 Park\u003c\/em\u003e, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eEveryone knows the name Ralph Lauren. Many people  know that he was born Ralphie Lifshitz. But not even Lauren himself knows the extra-ordinary history of his ancestry. And until now, no one really knew how this pint-size nebbish rose from the Jewish ghetto of the Bronx and turned himself from a yarmulke-topped yeshiva boy into the world's leading purveyor of old-money-WASP style. Genuine Authentic is that story.\u003c\/p\u003e    \u003cp\u003eHoratio Alger, step aside. Lauren, the descendant of generations of eastern European rabbis, is the embodiment of modern ambition. He stands as a symbol of the awesome rewards of self-invention -- and not just because he turned a talent for designing ties into a ten-billion-dollar international business. He also demonstrates how precarious success is, how hard a road life can be even for the driven. \u003c\/p\u003e    \u003cp\u003eLauren is considered by many to be a phony and a copycat. Yet even though he made up his name and nearly went bankrupt trying to live up to it, he can't be dismissed as a mere fake. His products have revolutionized the way almost everything is sold and the way great brands are built. Like Henry Ford and Walt Disney, he's also a real American authentic. And his business is a stunning American success.  \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e  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's seen by some as a narcissist, an insecure ditherer, and at times a rampaging tyrant. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e   Michael Gross, author of the bestseller Model, lays bare the truths of this fashion emperor's rise, and reveals not only the secrets of his stunning success in marketing our shared fantasies but also the darker side that's hidden behind the shiny patrician image. \u003c\/p\u003e     \u003cp\u003e Gross uncovers the essence of Lauren's carefully cultivated mystique: how he has turned his back on his own surprisingly aristocratic heritage to embrace another, more commercially viable, one; how he's built an image of luxury and wealth on a foundation of almost anonymous commodities, basic items of clothing like polo shirts and khaki pants, sold mostly in low-priced outlets, and seen everywhere from the subway to the world stage.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt wasn't easy. Along the way, Lauren conquered self-doubt and survived business reverses, even several brushes with bankruptcy. Genuine Authentic follows Lauren through an unhappy childhood and confused adolescence -- torn between an immigrant culture and his material desires -- to fame as a gray-haired thirty-something, and, finally, to the man he is today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e   In recent years, after surviving brain tumor surgery, Lauren suffered from a massive midlife crisis, finding solace with a beautiful blond model. He survived that, too, and in the nineties took his company public, making him a billionaire but creating a whole new set of challenges to confront, new horizons to conquer, starting with Wall Street, and then on to the rest of the world. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhony? Or the real thing? It's all here. You decide.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“Hack(s) through the hype and half-truths… A work of impressive reporting… Mr. Gross tells an engaging story.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCathy Horan, New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Shamelessly dishy… delightfully attuned to irony, and Lauren’s life story is full of it.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Gross’ research is impressive.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Gross delivers a portrait of a man who’s constructed a flawless image, but whose real self is far more fascinating and deeply human.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Catty...dishy...jammed with detail.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Impressive...engaging.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCathy Horyn, The New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A dishy (think scandalous affairs and control-freakish tantrums) yet balanced portrait of a man who started out as a tie salesman and went on to head a billion-dollar fashion empire.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Highly readable—and honorable.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Newsday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Explodes the myths.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDenver Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Thorough...fascinating.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDetroit Free Press\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Controversial.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFashion Wire Daily\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Compelling...Juicy stuff.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eToronto Star\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Sizzling.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Star\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44890583072997,"sku":"NP9780060199043","price":25.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780060199043.jpg?v=1730233628","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/genuine-authentic-the-real-life-of-ralph-lauren-isbn-9780060199043","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}