Although this year’s spring is heavily delayed in the American Midwest, I very much look forward to the transitional period and so, let’s take a look at Ralph Lauren‘s Spring/Summer collection for 2013.

You can find last year’s outfits by Sheila Metzner here. As always, click the picture for a larger view.

For the last few years, Ralph Lauren has been a great proponent of winchester shirts and collar pins. At least at Polo, there are winchester shirts in all kinds of colors ranging from yellow, orange and green to the more classic blue or pink. This gent is wearing a yellow shirt with a subtle tie and contrasting socks.

Red and blue seems to be a favorite combination for this Spring/Summer collection – an acknowledged classic in terms of color combinations.

Very classic DB suit with polka dotted tie, white crown folded pocket square and pink winchester shirt. Paired with black double monks, this is a classic outfit with a fresh twist.

Interesting, slim fit khaki suit with pink pocket square. The trousers are cut very slim with belt loops and suspenders – very Italian. The shantung silk tie is tucked in, which is rather unusual. Even with classic touches like the collar pin and cap, it’s an unusual outfit nevertheless.

Here we have two gray slim lapel three piece suits with striped winchester shirts. Both seem to be intentionally worn too tight, as indicated by the wrinkles in the vest and pants (top), as well as the X-folds around the closing button (below). The collars are semi spread and not too big, which is very “back to the basics” compared to the extreme cutaway collar styles that used to be the standard RL wear with striped shirts just a few years ago.

Madras has been a staple for the Polo collection for the last 10 years. Here it is paired with seersucker pants and a red cable knit sweater vest. In my experience, the quality of Polo goods has deteriorated steeply within the last few years. While I still have a red Polo sweater without any signs of pilling (bought in 2003), I had one of these cable knit sweaters that aged extremely poorly after just a few washes. I still like the patterns Ralph Lauren uses, but the quality for sweaters has been so dismally low that I do not purchase them anymore. Hopefully the quality will improve again in the future, but profits tend to take priority in these big, publicly-owned companies.

This three piece suit in ecru has trousers that are cut a little too low, which is why you can see the waistband of the trousers underneath the vest – it’s a common enough trend but from a classic perspective, it’s a “don’t.” Apart from that, I like the color for summer although, I would wear it slightly looser with wider lapels.

In my opinion, this is a typical POLO Ralph Lauren pattern, color and style mixture over multiple layers. Classic glencheck pattern, colorful fair isle vest, small patterned tie, winchester shirt with club collar and pin. Just like all the other sportscoats, they lack the interesting details of a Norfolk or Half-Norfolk. I wish Ralph Lauren would offer more sportscoats with more interesting details, such as pleats, patch pockets, or varying flap styles.

What do you think?

The white DB vest for daywear is one of the things I desperately need in my wardrobe. The combination with navy blue stripes is very classic, but it also works with brown or grey.

Again, great color combination and low rise trousers. I like the use of small boutonnieres – it is a subtle accent and not as loud as a carnation.

Although I find cricket to be a rather boring game, I am great fan of cricket sweaters a.k.a. tennis sweaters.

Nice sportscoat color.

Great combination of pale yellow slacks, saddle shoes, fair isle sweater vest, striped oxford short and leather jacket. Casual and classic at the same time. Personally, I would probably be too warm with a vest and a jacket but would miss the socks when it gets colder in the evening.

Brown-grey striped suits are great for more casual offices because they are less formal than charcoal or navy but you are still dressed nicely with them.

Close-up of the cable knit cricket sweater.

Seersucker is great for summer, no matter what color you choose – take a look at this article to learn all about this fantastic summer fabric. Also, bow tie is vivid color are fantastic for summer because they were a bit cooler than ties due to the lack of fabric over the chest.

The brown-cream herringbone odd jacket is an all time classic, that will likely never go out of style and hence it is a great investment piece if you want to build a lasting wardrobe.

The tennis outfits are all white and navy, which isn’t too exciting but I like the piped blazer for summer evenings at the club.

Sweater vests, jackets and shorts are not really my cup of tea; furthermore, other than trying to make a statement, such a strange mix of cold/warm weather clothing can’t be practical…but each to his own. The off white suit on the other hand is stunning. I used to have a white single breasted suit but I should invest in a DB version sometime.

The off white club blazer with navy piping and rounded quarters is certainly not something you’ll get a whole lot of wear out of, though it is fun to wear one.

What do you think of this collection? Any surprises?