Vintage Summit 10: A Vintage Roundtable Discussion by some of the industry's leading eccentrics.

Kurihara:The last item is from Ralph Lauren.

Abe:What is the theme here?

Kurihara:Well, I guess these are the hidden gems of Ralph Lauren that need to be reevaluated.

Konno:Ralph Lauren had a lot of interesting designs in this period, didn't they?

Kurihara:That's right. It seems that someone recently stirred up the short-sleeved open-collar shirts of Ralph Lauren, and they seem to have skyrocketed in price....

Fujiwara:Boom (laughs).

Kurihara:Well, it's okay that I don't wear open-collared shirts (laughs), but I feel that Ralph Lauren items in general are getting attention again.

Konno:I like this china jacket.

Kurihara:The design is an interesting fusion of a china jacket and coveralls.

Abe:Ladies?

Kurihara:I think it is. I used to not like Ralph Lauren so much. I like and collect native-style items, but I've never worn them myself. Ralph Lauren has a lot of designs that are easy to understand and unique. I prefer designs that are hard to recognize at first glance, like "actually Ralph Lauren" rather than "Ralph Lauren.

Konno:I like this border T-shirt. It's printed with a hand-drawn style border.

Kurihara:I bought this T-shirt the other day in the US. I like this series a lot.

Konno:There was also a BD shirt in this series, wasn't there?

Kurihara:There was.

Konno:I love it, too, and have sampled it for my own brand before (laughs).

Abe:Early 90's?

Kurihara:I think it is.

Konno:Maybe it's the same time period as Big Polo.

Fujiwara:I want it (laughs).

Konno:I think it's pretty hard to find a size for Yuttan.

Abe:Is this area popular now?

Kurihara:I think it is popular now.

Fujiwara:How much would you be willing to sell in your store?

Kurihara:I don't know...if it were my house, it would be in the low 10,000s.

Fujiwara:That's right. It could be more expensive in some stores, right?

Konno:If it were displayed behind the cash register, it would sell for about $20,000 (laughs).

Abe:This ringer type is also interesting. It's dyed in a ringer style.

Konno:This is hand dyed, right?

Kurihara:Yes, I am. This is a T-shirt that was made as a charity for the hurricane that occurred in 1992.

Konno:That's why it has "FLORIDA" in it.

Kurihara:I remember that Hiroshi Fujiwara introduced it in a magazine at the time, and it was very popular. After that, I also wanted one and was looking for one, but I couldn't find one in my size and couldn't buy it.

Konno:When did you buy this?

Kurihara:This spring. I bought this one from an American dealer, but it was already lost in the pile that several buyers had finished looking at, and I'm amazed that it remained unnoticed by anyone (laughs).

Abe:The copy "WE WILL REBUILD" on the back is cool too.

Kurihara:It's nice. It's very American (laughs).

Abe:Can't find it in the U.S.?

Kurihara:I haven't seen them for about 20 years. I haven't seen them in about 20 years.