Ralph Lauren’s new members-only club in Milan
More than a year after opening the Polo Bar, Ralph Lauren is still claiming the attention of the culinary crowd. His clubby brasserie-style venue on East 55th Street remains one of the most coveted reservations in midtown Manhattan, an area dense with fine dining options. Indeed, the American fashion mogul’s triumphs in New York City and beyond include his company’s imaginative and entertaining restaurants and, of course, his stores – establishments that bring his distinctive brand of Americana to life in locations around the world.
In that tradition but with a flair all of its own, Lauren’s latest venture, Palazzo Ralph Lauren, made its debut last September on a residential street in Milan. Set behind grand wrought-iron gates in the historic Casa Campanini mansion, which dates to 1941, the lavish 1,115 sq.m members-only club serves the company’s VIP clients, who shop, dine and partake of made-to-order services and special events in high style and the utmost privacy. Like Lauren’s opulent shops in New York and Paris, the new Milan club feels like a royal family home. It is richly appointed with Ralph Lauren–designed furnishings and fixtures and decorated with antique accessories and paintings.
But this space goes even further than his other elaborate and immersive stores. Similar to a country club, the Palazzo is a rarefied retail retreat where one might see well-heeled businesspeople orchestrating deals over dinner or a gentleman enjoying a quiet cocktail while ordering his seasonal wardrobe or custom shoes.
To host its elite clientele, the Palazzo has an in-house chef and a sprawling second-storey terrace and courtyard for drinks and dining al fresco. There are also a number of specially designed suites, including one devoted to Ralph Lauren’s Purple Label fashions for men. The Purple Label space has the look and feel of a bespoke atelier, with a curated selection of menswear fabrics for made-to-measure suits and Louisiana alligator skins for bespoke jackets.
Other areas within the club are home to one-off and limited-edition pieces not available elsewhere, such as the brand’s one-of-a-kind Automotive Skeleton watch, which is priced at US$50,000 (RM196,000). The offerings and experiences at Casa Campanini are accessible only to club members, who must be invited. Aside from divulging that Palazzo Ralph Lauren is reserved for VIP clients, the company is tight-lipped about membership. It seems safe to assume, however, that members will be able to obtain reservations at any of Ralph Lauren’s restaurants, including the Polo Bar back in New York.
