Ralph Lauren remains man of the year

Ralph Lauren is doing something right. He was voted Man of the Year for the second time in GQ magazine, and he took the honor of Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's VH1/Vogue Awards.
GQ notes that having started out in the blue-collar neighborhood in the Bronx as Ralph Lifshitz, he has become a "self-made American aristocrat. He is living proof that vision and finesse are what makes the man."
And from Vogue comes this accolade: "After 35 years, the designer's aesthetic is as ingrained in our culture as the show tunes we hum."
He has certainly mined American icons eloquently, from Western to old money to military interpretations.