(Vanity Fair) Sometimes, it feels like it’s Ralph Lauren’s America, and we’re just living in it. From the flag sweater, to the ubiquitous Polo shirt, to the elegant and comfortable home furnishings that have seeped into every corner of the nation, Ralph’s influence seems timeless. But even icons have to start somewhere—for Mr. Lauren (then Ralph Lifshitz), it was in the Bronx, where he got his start by selling ties to classmates at his Jewish day school. Herewith, Ralph Lauren’s style story, in pictures.