Lacoste Brings Back Tradition in Style with For Spring Summer 2013
As LACOSTE gets ready to celebrate its 80th anniversary, the Spring/Summer 2013 collection allows Felipe Oliveira Baptista, the brand’s Creative Director, to more than ever establish the legendary sportswear label onto the contemporary scene. With a stroke of lightness and humor, Felipe Oliveira Baptista endows the label with original new prints inspired bythe brand’s iconic elements (tennis balls, rackets and courts, crocodiles) which are arranged along a quasi kinetic pattern, thereby giving the illusion of plain all-over prints. A capsule collection, consisting of 12 women’s and men’s polo shirts, will display these new prints in various colors.

Relentlessly adding to LACOSTE’s graphic identity, Felipe OliveiraBaptista went through the house archives from the 1980s, and discovered flowing lines, comfortable luxury and certain pragmatism which transpired as the creative director’s new direction. Introducing graphics within a predominantly light wardrobe for women, the asymmetrical color blocks are subtly worked as intarsia into the jersey dresses.

The collection offers a rich chromatic palette which, rooted in pure white, moves on to assimilate pearly greys, pale yellows and light blues. Contrasts are high, brought on by the navy, red, electric blue and dark orange that are mixed with the lighter tones of the collection.

Kidswear

Kids wear has been part of Lacoste collection for a long time, but this fast growing segment has gained increased focus in the past three seasons. The label has a wide collection for boys and girls with polos, t-shirts, shirts, trousers, denims, skirts, dresses, jackets, sweaters and accessories. Lacoste is positioned quite uniquely in the kids wear category as all the kids wear brands in the category are positioned in the mass to premium category and no brand is offering the exclusivity of an affordable luxury brand.

Dedication to the women’s line

With Felipe Oleviera Baptista coming in as the New Creative Director the women’s category experiences a shift is design sensibilities. This season the Polo shirts become faltering tunics, sporty rugby dresses, and elegant evening wears. With dropped armholes, sailor necks, V necks, refined fabric combinations, luxurious fabrics the category has become more feminine in approach.

The Polo T-shirts have pleats around the neck which looks more feminine, rather than being a simple classic /stretch polo. The new collection also has sailor neck tops, A-line dresses, V-neck tops, reversible jacket (to make the look more versatile) which shows how the brand has moved beyond being just a Polo brand for women. This collection this year revolves around the theme of safari, nautical and beachwear, cotton-silk, viscose, sheer are the fabrics used to give the garments a better flow and feminine fit..