I’ve already mentioned many flattering things about the incredible Lacoste FW 14 collection showcased recently during the MB Fashion Week in NYC. I was trilled to be there, among many other very stylish and educated guests to watch and review Felipe Oliveira Baptista’s new take on chic and timeless coziness, sportive elegance, and laid-back put-togetherness. Felipe is a very talented designer – also a couturier – who appreciates very much the heritage of this amazing brand – and he set up, from the beginning, to produce a very sophisticated, renewed version of all clothes sealed with the legendary crocodile. This time he went back to a wonderful generation of women who always will be referred as powerful, modern, and relevant. He used softer fabrics – very appealing to touch – and he got very much inspired by the 20’s to transform clear art deco lines to modern monochrome silhouettes for all women (and men). You can see more of my initial reaction to this collection, right after the show, in my post for Day 3 of the NYFW. You can also check the interview we did two seasons ago – a real revelation of Felipe’s dream for Lacoste. But beyond my own point of view, I wanted to share with you the vision of the designer, as stated below:
Last year Felipe Oliveira Baptista went to the Basque region of France to visit Chantaco, the golf course built in the late 1920s by the father of Simone Thion de la Chaume, wife of René Lacoste and herself a golf champion, just like their daughter Catherine after her. In Chantaco, a timeless haven where nature and architecture meet sports and leisure, Oliveira Baptista captured a series of images that inspired the collection. Hundreds of shades of green from the lawns that seem as soft as the magnificent trees inspire faux monochromes. There is also the rustic purity of the clubhouse, whose art deco refinement looks unaltered by the years. Chantaco travels back to an era of countryside weekends when youthful hosts Simone and René Lacoste exuded a nonchalant elegance that echoes the beauty of the game of golf and its aristocratic chic.
An outdoors and nature-focused sportswear, synonymous with comfort and protection, inspired this urban wardrobe. Hit the city wrapped up in knits that feature reinvented argyles and stripes in subtle shades of greens and burgundy. Supple yet structured hybrid pea coats and ‘mini-oversized’ varsity jackets come in with shoulders that are softened by the sleeve construction. Sweaters and shirts inspired by sailor tops fall low on flowing long or short skirts cut in soft pure new wool jerseys. Ankle-length coats that sometimes feature a removable windbreaker are perfect to brave the cold. Collars get a ribbed treatment, zips are waterproof, polo shirts become over-shirts, shirts become jackets, and tone-on-tone thin knits layer up. The silhouette exudes comfort as well as the confidence to be chic for all occasions.
THE LOOK: The overall look offers light yet swathing layers that allow freedom of movement. Trousers and flowing skirts are worn under straight-cut knits. It’s a look even more comfortable as it is pure and linear.
COLORS: Lacoste green takes all possible vegetal shades, from deepest to softest, and the signature red fades away behind burgundy that extends to brown. Monochromes of blue and beige are also to be noted.
FABRICS: A vast range of pure new wool, knitted in thick jersey, woven in resilient woolen cloth, blended in graphic intarsias for ‘mini-oversized’ volumes. Nylon mesh adds sporty sophistication.
ESSENTIALS: Sweaters with innovative stripes, check and argyle dress up the silhouette. Aviator-like jumpsuits give a clever nonchalance, and hoodies are cut in chic fabrics. The peacoat gets a twist.
ACCESSORIES: Now a Lacoste classic, the Chantaco bag is presented in a medium-size option in signature petit-piqué leather, a tribute to the famous polo shirt. The bag is shown in the shades of the collection, in variations of green and burgundy as well as burnt black and navy. Footwear also blends in the runway monochrome shades. An ankle boot and a heeled derby are very contemporary versions of a 1920s sports shoe. Sneakers highlight the feminine silhouette by contrast in a two-material version for women as well as men. A hybrid and futuristic backpack ushers men along the course of an urban winter. Gloves and beanies offer cover, chromatically blending into the outfit like an armor, just as the wide tone-on-tone piping sunglasses are designed to shield from the sharp winter light. We loved everything!!!
xxx
Elena Sendona
