Stars and Stripes on the Seine

Today in Paris, the grand gentleman of preppy American style Ralph Lauren brings his vision to the Left Bank, opening the ornate doors of his latest and largest retail space (expanding on his retail presence on Place de la Madeleine and Avenue Montaigne). Fittingly for a brand that epitomizes the US high life—with its polo matches, yachts and country clubs—the store inhabits an 18th-century townhouse on the Boulevard Saint Germain. Sporting a classical façade rich with carvings and, on the interior, parquet floors and timbered ceilings, the building has been restored over four years to recreate the grandeur of the period when it was built. With six floors of retail space—including a dedicated watch salon and an attic stocked with RRL, a line previously unavailable as a complete collection outside of the US—the building also houses Ralph’s, a chic restaurant in the old stables, whose raison d’etre is to serve the best burgers and brunches in the city. NOWNESS offers an inside peek into the various stages of this extensive renovation, captured rigorously on film by Helmut Hutter, accompanied by “Distant,” a new track from Parisian DJ and producer Chloé's upcoming album One in Other.