Two hours north of the Ralph Lauren flagship store on Madison Avenue, in the Rockwellian town of Kingston, New York, sits what may be the most comprehensive collection of vintage Ralph Lauren tailoring in the world. Welcome to Thoroughbred New York.
Its owner, Laird Mackintosh, grew up in suburban Calgary, Canada. His first job as a teenager—working the floor in a Polo Ralph Lauren store—proved defining and “seared the Polo aesthetic into my mind forever.”
Mackintosh went on to become a ballet dancer and an actor. In 2018, while playing the title role in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, he created an Instagram account to share his love of vintage Ralph Lauren tailoring. The response—especially from collectors eager to buy the clothes he posted—quickly overwhelmed him. So, after wrapping up the show’s 35-year run, Mackintosh opened Thoroughbred New York this past spring. The name is meant to convey the rarity and craftsmanship of vintage Polo, in addition to being a nod to Ralph Lauren’s Fall 1984 campaign, “English Thoroughbred.”
“The thing I wanted to do from the start was to be a specialist and to have a unique store that dealt in only one thing: vintage Ralph Lauren tailoring,” says Mackintosh. “This store is a very personal reflection of my tastes and interests.”
Although compact, the shop feels like a full-fledged Ralph Lauren boutique, with dark wood, marble busts, and equestrian ephemera throughout. Look up and there’s an oil painting of a regal polo pony; peek around a corner and you’ll spot a leather desk organizer once used in a Ralph Lauren store in Los Angeles.
But the true stars are the clothes. Hand-knit cardigans, Italian-silk ties, and English-made shoes are in abundance, but most people come for the tailoring. Double-breasted navy blazers take up a whole rack, while gray tweed sport coats fill another. Fall in love with a 1930s-style belted-back cotton-linen safari jacket only to find it’s one size too big? Look two jackets down on the same rack and you’ll find another example of the coat in a smaller size. In short, it’s just like a real Ralph Lauren store, with the meticulous organization of the inventory showcasing just how impressive a vintage collection it is.
Since opening in May, Mackintosh has been inundated with appointments—from vintage aficionados and Ralph Lauren alumni to anyone with an eye for great clothes. “My hope for the future is to try to elevate the standing that vintage Polo has in the minds of collectors,” he says. “I really believe in the value of vintage Polo, and its ability to impart a little bit of grace, elegance, and quality into one’s daily life.”
Trevor Jones is a humanities teacher, and tennis professional, based on the North Shore of Boston
