Dressy Me

Lacoste Sportswear

The roots of the world-recognized Lacoste logo extend back to the game of professional level tennis in the 1920's. Rene Lacoste was a world-class tennis player from France who was one of the legendary Four Musketeers, four Frenchmen who dominated tennis during the mid-1920's through early 1930's. Lacoste held the #1 world title in 1926 and 1927 along with winning the prestigious single mens title at Wimbleton in both 1925 and 1928.

According to an interview with Rene Lacoste's son, Bernard, his father acquired the nickname 'Alligator' from the American sports press following a bet he made while in America to play in the 1927 Davis Cup. While in Boston, Lacoste had seen a piece of luggage made from alligator hide that he liked very much. The captain of the French team offered to buy the case for Lacoste on condition that he win his match in the upcoming competition. When the press heard of the bet, they thought that the alligator skin was a good metaphor for Lacoste's tenacious playing style and his ability to keep a hold on and control his opponents attempts to change up the tempo of the matches. From then on, sports journalists referred to Lacoste as 'the Alligator'.

The nickname stuck with Lacoste after returning home to France, with luggage in hand, but with no cognate in his native language, the French press changed his nickname to le crocodile. Soon after, Lacoste's friend, Robert George, drew an alligator that Lacoste had embroidered upon the blazers he wore when attending tennis events.

Origins of the Lacoste polo shirt

At the start of the 20th century, tennis apparel was formal; men wore stiff, woven, long-sleeve oxford shirts and began the game wearing a necktie which usually came off as the match progressed. The formal looking yet heat-retaining shirts were matched with full-length flannel pants. Women started the century in full-length dresses and petticoats while wearing a bustle underneath. By the 1920's, women's tennis apparel had changed to calf-length cotton frocks with short sleeves and knee-high socks while men's tennis apparel stayed the same. It is no coincidence that white became the color of apparal choice for tennis players early on as it minimized the appearance of sweat stains better than colored garments.

In 1926, encouraged by the switch from long-sleeved shirts to short-sleeved shirts by women tennis players, Rene Lacoste wore a shirt he designed himself while winning the 1926 U.S. Open tournament. The first Lacoste shirt was made from a light-knitted fabric called 'jersey petit pique' which allowed for ventilation to wick away moisture. The shirt was white and short-sleeved with a longer shirt-tail in back than in the front. The shirt could be opened for maximum ventilation by adjusting the two-button placket and the collar was ribbed to provide stability so it could be worn up-turned to block the sun from his neck. After acquiring the nickname 'the Alligator' in 1927, Lacoste had all his tennis shirts embroidered with his newly adopted alligator logo. Over the next few years, other members of the French tennis team began to wear Lacoste-style shirts and soon players from other countries were requesting Lacoste tennis shirts for themselves.

The beginning of Lacoste fashions

Rene Lacoste retired from professional tennis in 1929 but at the time he did not know that he would soon be embarking on a new career in the fasion industry. After the success of Lacoste's tennis shirt among tennis players throught Europe, polo players began to request the shirt. They, too, were tired of wearing stiff, long-sleeved shirts and were attracted by the ability of the collar to block the sun from their necks. The spreading popularity of Lacoste's tennis shirt prompted him to team up with the owner and President of the largest French knitwear manufacturing firm at the time, Andre Gillier, in 1933. The company was called La Societe Chemise Lacoste and it began to produce the Lacoste white tennis shirt with the logo embroidered on the chest.

By the late 1940's, the Lacoste tennis shirt had become known as the polo shirt by sport watchers. People who weren't tennis or polo players began wearing the Lacoste polo shirt as status symbols of upper-class tastes such as tennis and polo viewing. In 1951, the company expanded the popularity of the shirt by introducing colored shirts and in the 1960's the Lacoste fashion line was expanded into other areas such as shoes, hats, and sweaters.

Lacoste clothing today

Today, Lacoste fashions are recognized world-wide by their logo. Polo shirts by any other manufacturer are frequently referred to as a Lacoste polo shirt by the general public. Both their men's shoes and women's shoes are worn by people working in offices, professional athletes, and by weekend barbeque chefs in their own backyard. You can accessorize your shoes and add style to your step with Lacoste socks. For afternoons poolside or at the beach, their swimwear gives a flattering fit along with conventional use.

When keeping warm for an upcoming game of tennis, raquetball, or for wearing down to the store to do grocery shopping on a lazy Saturday, a Lacoste men's or women's tracksuit or track jacket is an excellent choice for casual wear. Lacoste apparel isn't just for sports nor warm climates as men's and women's Lacoste sweaters will help to keep you warm when your environment is cool. If 'cool' is too light an adjective to describe the winter weather you live in, top off your sweater with Lacoste men's and womens jackets and be snug as a bug in a rug when winter comes your way.

Lacoste also has a successful line of accessories such as colognes and perfumes with fragrances that are both sporty and classy. Lacoste hats are popular with skiers and with the urban hip-hop crowd along with the sporting and stylish frames of Lacoste sunglasses that provide 100% UV-protection in their lens. Lacoste men's watches and Lacoste ladies watches keep precision time and offer a variety of styles to match your variety of moods. If you are looking for luxurious bags and totes, Lacoste handbags are the solutions you seek as they are attractive, functional, and durable. For a wallet or billfold, Lacoste wallets are available in both leather and nylon styles with an assortment of colors and designs to select among. When wearing an outfit that requires a belt, Lacoste belts will do the trick and they are available in both mens and women's styles.