We all know the importance of school….

But there is no substitute for what we can learn from others and the value of their experience and wisdom.  On a very special night at Lincoln Center in New York, Oprah Winfrey and Ralph Lauren took the stage to have a conversation…. And Lincoln Center witnessed the most successful fundraising event in its history.

Three large screens on stage  scrolled  familiar visuals from Ralph Lauren campaigns over the years, a glance down memory lane of the most stylish and elegant variety.  The evening on stage ended in a fashion show of almost 50 models parading the looks of the Spring 2012 collection.  Most of the looks for the evening were shades of Gatsby in ivory and pastels, bias-cut charmeuse, delicately beaded, just the right amount of feathers and, of course, infused with an abundance of American style a la….RL.

Some Ralph Lauren philosophy taken away that evening included the following (all I could get on the 3×5 tucked in my evening bag!):

-Believe in yourself…stick to your guns…don’t give up.

-Believe in your vision…dedicate yourself to it.

-I had a vision, I had no idea where it would take me.

-Don’t follow the wind , follow your vision.

-I never went to fashion school…what came, came from inside, I stretched, I made myself stretch.

-You must love what you do, you must keep moving ahead, and the creativity comes.

-If you are prepared to work harder, you can have what you want.

-And in closing…..

-Find what makes you happy.  There is a world out there that is needy, giving, and doing good things makes me happy.

And seven million dollars later, ‘An Evening with Ralph Lauren and Oprah’ raised critical funds for the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention and for The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

A good time was had by all at the David Koch Theater, where long tables were set for dinner, decorated with all white flowers…caviar awaited, and dozens of candleglobes glowed….a la RL, of course….it’s all part of the vision.

Ralph Lauren’s book was a gift to each guest that evening, now available from Rizzoli through your local bookstore or the Mansion…of course.

November 10, 2011