Set in the heart of Paris’s 1st arrondissement, Vogue World: Paris 2024 married athleticism with French fashion design from its very first moments. The show kicked off with an overture that saw young athletes from various sporting disciplines enter from one side of the Place Vendôme—there was tennis player Jeanne Marchi Manissier, runner Tania Matushok, handballer Catherine Gabriel, and gymnast Adam Cogat, among a dozen others—while from the other side, master couturiers from the houses of Armani Privé, Balenciaga, Chanel, Dior, Giambattista Valli, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, Maison Margiela, and Schiaparelli emerged. After the couturiers took their seats front row (it’s rare that the makers of haute couture get to enjoy a front-row spot!), and the athletes wound around the Place, out came a group of waiters balancing trays carrying bottles of red wine—an homage to the Course des Cafés. Everyone wore white (indeed, the scene functioned a bit like a blank canvas for what was to come), with the waiters in neat white button-ups, the couturiers in their standard white coats, and the athletes in custom suits designed by Lacoste.
And, really, what brand could be more fitting? Since its founding in 1933 by tennis player René Lacoste and entrepreneur André Gillier, Lacoste has always melded athletic wear and fashion.
The Lacoste looks consisted of white piqué knit polos (a Lacoste mainstay) paired with breezy pants and two-button blazers that featured pockets embroidered with, of course, the iconic Lacoste crocodile. Though the brand has its roots in tennis wear, every athlete, from basketball star to MMA fighter to ballerina, looked downright chic.
Eagle-eyed viewers may have also noticed a flag appear as the athletes and couturiers crisscrossed the Place. That was the blue banner of Secours Populaire Français, a non-profit organization that works to uplift and support individuals experiencing discrimination, poverty, or housing instability. Vogue World: Paris has committed to donating a portion of its proceeds to the organization, which was founded in Paris in 1945 and also facilitates access to sports practice and essential equipment for young, aspiring athletes across France. A worthy effort, indeed.
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