Some teddy bears are better suited to dispensing sartorial advice than others. Dress like Winnie the Pooh, for example, and you’re likely to be written up for indecent exposure. On the other hand, the Ralph Lauren Polo Bear—with his artful layering and aspirational yet achievable preppy style—is well disposed to be an unlikely style icon.
The Ralph Lauren Polo Bear was introduced to the world in 1991 and has been quietly and consistently impeccably dressed for well over three decades. Whether he’s in signature preppy form wearing pleated trousers and a sweater casually draped over his shoulders or adopting a western-style Canadian tuxedo complete with a cowboy hat and a brown suede fringed jacket, the Polo Bear simply never misses.
His understated sartorial prowess has been noted by the TikTok crowd, with users of the social media platform rightly identifying the teddy bear’s wealth of outfit inspiration.
“This lil dude is wearing a really freakin’ cute outfit,” says Lindy Goodson (@the_real_lin_shady) in a TikTok, gesturing at the Polo Bear on her grey Ralph Lauren sweater. “Look at the layering here! I want to dress like him.”
Related: It’s Old Money, Darling; How To Nail The Generational Wealth Aesthetic
The video, which kicked off the #dressinglikepolobear trend, sees Goodon recreate the bear’s preppy winter look. TikToker Elliot Duprey (@elliot_duprey) also jumped on the trend, recreating the Polo Bear’s timeless getup of trousers, a royal blue sweater, and a khaki trench coat, a look that was previously also sported by Goodson.
The beauty of the Polo Bear’s style lies in its ability to make the aspirational achievable. While the bear himself undoubtedly remains loyal to his creators with an all-Ralph Lauren wardrobe, his outfits make use of wardrobe staples and can easily be recreated using the clothing you already have. Showcasing the power of considered layering, the Ralph Lauren Polo Bear’s core outfit ingredients include button-down shirts, sweaters, pleated trousers, trench coats and overcoats, and denim.
Even if you don’t possess pieces in the exact colours sported by the Polo Bear, donning the same silhouettes in complementary colours will yield you similar results. And, the sheer number of Polo Bear jumpers, sweaters and t-shirts on the Ralph Lauren webstore means that he’s a seemingly endless source of style inspiration, with pretty much every occasion (driving, tennis, travelling, skiing, holidays) treated to a beary good outfit.
The Ralph Lauren Polo Bear’s cuddly good looks are also a breath of fresh air in our Ozempic-obsessed society. Proving that true style isn’t restricted to a single body type, the Polo Bear acts as a universally appealing model that puts the outfits he’s wearing front and centre. Unlike with a human model, the Polo Bear doesn’t force you to imagine what the outfit would look like on themselves or whether you can ‘pull it off’. It’s a bear — if he’s wearing it, you can too.
The Polo Bear is undeniably the best dresser in the teddy bear community, however we can also learn from the rest of his kinfolk. Predating the Polo Bear by over three decades, Paddington Bear is a capsule wardrobe king if ever there was one. A mammal well acquainted with the power of cost-per-wear, Paddington Bear has been wearing the same navy toggle-closed duffle coat and floppy red hat since 1958. He’s also proven a source of olfactory inspiration, with the bear’s affinity for marmalade sandwiches inspiring a collaboration with Jo Malone London. The resultant fragrance, Orange Marmalade, is a refined take on the iconic British preserve, with bright, slightly bitter orange peel intermingling with warm cashmere wood.
Similarly, while Winnie the Pooh’s NSFW stylings are best left in the Hundred Acre Wood, he embodies the cosy core principles proposed by the Danish hygge, Swedish mysa, and Dutch gezellig philosophies far better than any angular beige-washed Instagram-famous Scandi influencer can. Epitomising the conviviality and contentment core to each way of living, Winnie the Pooh spends his days catching up with friends, going on walks with Piglet, and dining on sweet treats for a dopamine hit; each part and parcel of good mental health during the cooler months. And, he can teach us balance. When asked whether he wanted honey or condensed milk on his bread, he swiftly replies: “Both! But don’t bother about the bread, please.” See, restraint.
And as the day draws to a close, cuddly teddy bears know that on a cold winter’s day, the best place to be is at home. With a cup of tea and a prime place in front of the fire, the Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Bear finds pleasure in the simple things. Keeping his electronic devices out of the room and donning a comfortable nightie and sleeping cap, he takes the lead from Winnie the Pooh; promoting the art of cosy living by simply nodding off.
Words by T. Angel
Cover image courtesy of Ralph Lauren
