How to Create the Viral Ralph Lauren Christmas Garland

This year, I’m adding a handmade garland to our holiday décor—simple wood beads, scraps of well-loved Ralph Lauren shirts, and a mix of textures that feel collected, cozy, and perfectly imperfect.

All this talk about a Ralph Lauren Christmas has me looking through Brent’s old shirts for material. It did not take long to find two almost threadbare shirts that were exactly what I was looking for. A red and white check and a green stripe.

Using old shirts gives this garland a nostalgic look. And not only that, it’s very inexpensive to use old shirt fabric, or any old fabric. The beads are easy to find at places like Walmart or Target for less than you might think. I found these at Walmart for TK.

The materials you’ll need to make this RL-inspired garland

• Old shirt fabric in checks, stripes, plaids
• Inexpensive wood bead garland. (Check stores like Walmart or Target for store-brand wood bead garland for the best price)
• Scissors
• Iron

Assembling the garland

1. Cut strips of fabric and trim any threads
2. Press
3. Tie bows to attach to the wood bead garland, spacing each about 10″ apart, spacing them fairly evenly, but not too close together. You want the wood beads to show without looking cluttered.
4. Add the wood bead/ribbon bow garland with faux cedar garland, velvet ribbon, and enamel bauble garland.
5. Add a strand of lights for a cozy glow.

A layered look with different kinds of garlands

Faux Cedar Garland // Enamel Bauble Tinsel Garland // Velvet Ribbon // Stargazer Lights // Christmas Tea Towel

A mixed holiday garland looks festive day and night. The lights add a certain charm and coziness, but even in the middle of the day, the garland is cheerful with color and texture.

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