When Ralph Lauren sat down for a little chat on Monday night with Oprah Winfrey, they picked up a discussion they started on TV back in the spring, when the fashion designer helped close out Winfrey's long-running talk show with an exclusive peek inside his Colorado estate.
But this time, their talk about Lauren's life, career and commitment to cancer causes was at Lincoln Center in front of a sold-out crowd of arts patrons and a celebrity guest list that included Michael J. Fox, Diane von Furstenberg, Anna Wintour, Martha Stewart and Naomi Watts.
The conversation raised more than $7 million (Dh25.7 million) for Lauren's cancer care centre in East Harlem along with the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
In a pre-show interview, Lauren said he wanted to do this because he believes in the causes. "I've been doing what I'm doing a long time, and I'm here to give back what I can," he said.
He said he can't remember the first time he met Winfrey but spent a long time with her when she first launched her magazine — and that formed a connection.
"I once found myself talking to Oprah in my car for an hour," he said. "Whenever I see her it's like I just saw her. That's a real connection."
But Winfrey told the audience it took 25 years for her to get the interview with Lauren at his Colorado ranch. She said Lauren "designed the fabric of America the way we know it".
But this time, their talk about Lauren's life, career and commitment to cancer causes was at Lincoln Center in front of a sold-out crowd of arts patrons and a celebrity guest list that included Michael J. Fox, Diane von Furstenberg, Anna Wintour, Martha Stewart and Naomi Watts.
The conversation raised more than $7 million (Dh25.7 million) for Lauren's cancer care centre in East Harlem along with the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
In a pre-show interview, Lauren said he wanted to do this because he believes in the causes. "I've been doing what I'm doing a long time, and I'm here to give back what I can," he said.
He said he can't remember the first time he met Winfrey but spent a long time with her when she first launched her magazine — and that formed a connection.
"I once found myself talking to Oprah in my car for an hour," he said. "Whenever I see her it's like I just saw her. That's a real connection."
But Winfrey told the audience it took 25 years for her to get the interview with Lauren at his Colorado ranch. She said Lauren "designed the fabric of America the way we know it".
