The Holy Ralph-Laurenian Empire

There used to just be two Ralph Lauren stores at 72nd and Madison, the sporty Polo store on the southwest corner and the dressier Ralph Lauren on the southeast corner. Then came the children's Ralph Lauren on the northwest corner of 71st and Madison (complete with tiny mannequins in the window clad in outfits much nicer than whatever that thing is you're wearing as you pass it). Now, Mr. Lauren has expanded to fill much of the space between the Polo store and the children's one, making Madison between 71st and 72nd officially the preppiest urban street in the world, or at least until Madison in the low 90s.

Now, moving back to the aforementioned east side of that block. Just south of the original Ralph Lauren is an Episcopal church. There's something amusing about this--Ralph Lauren, a Jewish man who's built a clothing empire based on the (apparently, given the success of his company) widespread desire to be a New England WASP or just look like one, has situated his stores all around not just a Protestant church, but an Episcopal one, adding an anglophilic flavor to the area that would be missing if the church were, say, Baptist. Once the latest store is built, that church will be just about the only thing on Madison between 71st and 72nd without an R.L. stamp on it. What would be really funny, though, is if another Ralph Lauren store eventually takes over the church's building. It would be a case of WASP fantasy displacing remnants of actual WASPiness.