Ralph Lauren Flatware

To suggest that Ralph Lauren has come a long way is an understatement. From his humble beginnings as a tie salesman working out of a drawer at New York’s Empire State Building, he grew one of the world’s largest and most successful fashion empires from scratch.

For decades, Ralph Lauren’s clothing brand has blended classic, preppy Americana East Coast-style with the look of upper-crust English aristocracy. This style is the hallmark of Ralph Lauren’s design and can be seen in all facets of his brand, from its vintage apparel, accessories and jewelry to furniture and décor.

The iconic fashion designer was born Ralph Rueben Lifshitz in New York City and grew up in the Bronx. When he and his brother were in their teens, they changed their surname from Lifshitz to Lauren after being teased about it at school. Later on, Lauren took business classes at night, worked at various menswear retailers and did a stint in the U.S. Army. While working at tie manufacturer Beau Brummel, he was inspired to create his own line of ties.

In 1967, Lauren launched “Polo,” ties handmade from high-quality fabrics featuring a wide design. They were a success. Lauren sold $500,000 worth to retail giants Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus and Paul Stuart in his first year.

Lauren expanded his designs into clothing, with his first menswear line of classic tweed suits in 1968 and, in 1971, his first line of womenswear featuring classic feminine tailoring. Lauren’s nostalgic fashion soon captured the eye of Hollywood. He created costumes for the 1974 adaptation of The Great Gatsby and was responsible for Diane Keaton’s distinctive feminine menswear look in 1977’s Annie Hall. Ralph Lauren’s designs have since garnered national and international acclaim and recognition — from Gwyneth Paltrow’s iconic pink 1999 Oscars dress to becoming the official outfitter of Team USA for the Olympics since 2008.

In 2018, Ralph Lauren celebrated his 50th anniversary with a star-studded fashion show and, in 2019, was awarded an honorary knighthood — the highest British honor — for services to fashion.

On 1stDibs, discover a wide range of vintage Ralph Lauren shirts, sweaters and other clothing.

The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”

Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.

Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.

It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.

Your dining room table is a place where stories are shared and personalities shine — why not treat yourself and your guests to the finest antique and vintage glass, silver, ceramics and serveware for your meals?

Just like the people who sit around your table, your serveware has its own stories and will help you create new memories with your friends and loved ones. From ceramic pottery to glass vases, set your table with serving pieces that add even more personality, color and texture to your dining experience.

Invite serveware from around the world to join your table settings. For special occasions, dress up your plates with a striking Imari charger from 19th-century Japan or incorporate Richard Ginori’s Italian porcelain plates into your dining experience. Celebrate the English ritual of afternoon tea with a Japanese tea set and an antique Victorian kettle. No matter how big or small your dining area is, there is room for the stories of many cultures and varied histories, and there are plenty of ways to add pizzazz to your meals.

Add different textures and colors to your table with dinner plates and pitchers of ceramic and silver or a porcelain lidded tureen, a serving dish with side handles that is often used for soups. Although porcelain and ceramic are both made in a kiln, porcelain is made with more refined clay and is more durable than ceramic because it is denser. The latter is ideal for statement pieces — your tall mid-century modern ceramic vase is a guaranteed conversation starter. And while your earthenware or stoneware is maybe better suited to everyday lunches as opposed to the fine bone china you’ve reserved for a holiday meal, handcrafted studio pottery coffee mugs can still be a rich expression of your personal style.

“My motto is ‘Have fun with it,’” says author and celebrated hostess Stephanie Booth Shafran. “It’s yin and yang, high and low, Crate & Barrel with Christofle silver. I like to mix it up — sometimes in the dining room, sometimes on the kitchen banquette, sometimes in the loggia. It transports your guests and makes them feel more comfortable and relaxed.”

Introduce elegance at supper with silver, such as a platter from celebrated Massachusetts silversmith manufacturer Reed and Barton or a regal copper-finish flatware set designed by International Silver Company, another New England company that was incorporated in Meriden, Connecticut, in 1898. By then, Meriden had already earned the nickname “Silver City” for its position as a major hub of silver manufacturing.

At the bar, try a vintage wine cooler to keep bottles cool before serving or an Art Deco decanter and whiskey set for after-dinner drinks — there are many possibilities and no wrong answers for tableware, barware and serveware. Explore an expansive collection of antique and vintage glass, ceramics, silver and serveware today on 1stDibs.