From a block away, the fevered chanting and cheering rivaled the sidelines of any duel between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
But it was a former bank in central Paris rather than Roland-Garros that Lacoste took over for the sophomore collection of creative director Pelagia Kolotouros, where she continued to build around the brand’s origins story.
Inside, it was also sand rather than clay that laid down as a runway, giving a beachy vibe that was hammered home by a wave-like installation of nets created specially for the occasion by U.K.-based artist Susie MacMurray and a wall of screens displaying crashing waves.
At a preview, Kolotouros named founder René Lacoste’s debonair off-court style as an inspiration, particularly 1920s snapshots of the founder and friends at the seaside.
Woven into a solidly wearable lineup were nods to 1920s swimwear, silky robes and sharp tailoring as well as street-savvy fare like boxy neo-polo shirts cut from denim and whisper-thin micro-ripstop nylon parkas.
Strongest were the suits developed using a new piqué that had the hand of a tropical wool; leather blousons and shorts that came oversize, ready to slouch handsomely with wear; bodysuits and dresses that bared the ribs or back.
There were witty tennis-themed touches too, like the pair of sweaters adorned with a racquet motif — with the wearer’s head serving as the ball. Points also for the skin-flattering tones of sandy beige to deep chocolate, with tennis ball-yellow, black and greens for good measure.
Lacoste’s spring lineup read like a second winning game for Kolotouros, particularly as a high proportion of her fall runway designs are arriving in store. But the match to get Lacoste’s offering fully back in the fashion circuit has only just begun.
