Ralph, Valentino—this seems to be a year of auspicious anniversaries in fashion. To mark Lacoste s 75th, creative director Christophe Lemaire took the path of least resistance, back to the label s Biarritz roots. People in that part of France are fond of an old, tennis-like ball game called Basque pelote. So the show s set was a pelote court, and the first all-white looks had an appropriately vintage feel, worn with Basque-red cummerbunds and espadrilles to underline the regional story. René Lacoste s croc was enlarged and embroidered tone-on-tone on a linen jacket s breast pocket—an inescapable but subtle nod to brand heritage.
Lacoste still means tennis, especially this week when the company s box at the U.S. Open was a fashion hot spot, but Lemaire has managed to extend the association with intimations of other leisurely pursuits. Though a sense of the past lingered in the barely there colors of cotton jackets and camp shirts (like much-loved items faded by endless summers), the graphic crispness of wide-striped navy-and-white polos had a nautical zip. While it s an incontrovertible fact that polo shirts and jeans will never be the stuff of an unforgettable fashion show, Lemaire can at least make his audience think summery thoughts.
