Walking home from work tonight, just before 8 p.m., a throng of hundreds gather behind police barriers on Madison between 71st and 72nd Streets.. Bomb scare? But who would bother to blow up the neighborhood Presbyterian Church?
Repetitious music that will hammer in the head for days, blares through the loudspeakers and the crowd begins to cheer. I was incredulous that such a large well-healed crowd of fashionistas would get so excited at the kick off of holiday shopping.
But pictures of this adult haunted mansion.
On this night, David Lauren, son of Ralph Lauren, and senior vice president of marketing and advertising, and also spearheading the global campaign of the celebration is for the company’s 10-year online presence, or it’s a fusion of art, fashion and technology.
Whatever it is, it’s the technology that stands out. After five minutes we start looking at our watches, time to get home and prepare dinner. A red purse, ties, fine, but let’s eat.
As we walk home, questions begin to bubble, how did they pull that off? What is “4-D” and “architectural mapping technology,” and where is this headed? I don’t own a stitch of clothing from Ralph Lauren, and don’t know a thing about fashion. J Crew is the only thing I wear, and when I want to get exotic, Zara Men, but because of Lauren’s commitment to technological innovation, my interest is piqued.