Ralph Lauren makes his entrance

As the New York Yankees finish the practice, Ralph Lauren heads for the home team. He is there to throw the first pitch tonight before the Yankees-Red Sox match, and he is dressed for the occasion: the leather jacket and the cowboy boots have given way to a Yankees jersesy. (No. 5 for his hero Joe DiMaggio). gray sweat pants at the waist and a pair of his favorite Solomon sneakers. These are intentional choices, he explains while we speak in pirogue. Sweats are comfortable; the pull-heavy sneakers. "I need a good shoe," he says. "And especially at Yankee Stadium, in front of all these people, I'd better wear the right thing and not stumble."

Ralph Lauren, it must be said, is pretty good at bringing the right thing. That's at least partly why 2018 has been such a big year. Certainly, when you are Ralph Lauren – Dean of American fashion, maker of the beautiful life, referee of all things authentic – most years are good. But 2018 has been exceptionally rich in events.

He is celebrating his fiftieth birthday to begin, marking half a century since he began selling links in New York.

There was the 50th Anniversary Parade, which was held at Central Park during New York Fashion Week earlier this month. Oprah wore a toast, everyone was wearing a black tie and the clothes were in the center. New, old, beachwear, beachwear, formal wear, ranch gear, formal wear: just about everything Lauren did better and longer than anyone else was proud of.

Now, there is POLO, the very first application of the brand, which starts well with its first launch. Just like Nike's SNKRS, or a service like Grailed, it's designed to capture the attention of fashion-hungry fans, but in this case, the brand is hoping to move from sneakers and hoodies to the coveted streetwear style. Lauren admits he's not "an app expert," but he recognizes that much of what he's done for decades – mood boards, catalogs, shots – has migrated online. So that's where he goes.

But all this is the preamble to this, perhaps the most nostalgic moment of the year that fills them.

In a sense, his first presentation is over 50 years old. Famous, Lauren was born in the Bronx and began looking for the Yankees in her childhood. And although he has since moved to homes in Manhattan and Bedford and Telluride and Jamaica, his heart remains with his childhood team. "I grew up with the Yankees," he recalls. "I've always been an athlete when I was small. I have lived in the Bronx. Yankee Stadium was the dream. When I was standing up for bats, I always thought that I was either Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle. So that was a very important part of my young years in the Bronx. And when the Yankees went from the 1970s to the World Series World Champion, Lauren did the same, turning good-natured Bronx into a world director. "I saw them grow well before me," he says. "The Yankees, they have always been a source of inspiration."

So he is here, ready to go on the field. He wants to make it clear that he has not finished yet: "It's not my swan song," he said of the Central Park show. "It was just to say, It's 50 years old. And it was a good event. He wants to stay ahead. "I think a designer's job is to feel the world and express it one way or the other."

POLO represents part of this effort. Collections such as Snow Beach and Hi Tech have become collector's items since their launch in the 90s. RL has started to re-edit these favorite lines so that grateful fans can relaunch them. Now, POLO becomes the best way to grab them. Things will also start to look good: shortly after Lauren launches her project, the app will work with – what else? and a heated satin jacket.

In attacking territory, I heard David Cone, the great Yankees player, claiming that Ralph had thrown some 50 shots before he arrived on the field. So I check with the man himself. So, I ask the greatest American designer, How does your arm feel? "It smells OK," he says. "I hope that I reach the grass!" When the time comes, he climbs on the mound – and not the grass in front of which famous people often throw – and lies down . He retires and shoots the ball to receiver Gary Sanchez. Of course, it bounces, but it definitely clears the grass.