March 4, 2020 |
You can’t really spell Lacoste without tennis. The “sport of kings” is at the root of the brand, having been founded by a 1920s Grand Slam superstar René Lacoste back in 1933. Almost nine decades and several creative directors later, the spirit of tennis is as present as ever, mostly thanks to the quirky English sensibilities of Louise Trotter. Since joining the French heritage house as the creative lead in late 2018, Trotter has been focused on putting back joyfulness into the clothes, with colours, forms and silhouettes all playing up to the retro spirit dating back to those early beginnings. And then there’s the crocodile logo – a cross-cultural symbol with incredible stylistic potential that has been given a whole new life in Trotter’s hands.
For the AW20 show, she brought the fashion tropes into Tennis Club de Paris, a place of great importance to the brand’s founder. Speaking closely to Lacoste’s life, she merged his sport with that of his wife Simone Thion de la Chaume. A champion golfer in her own right, de la Chaume and Lacoste made a superstar couple which now transformed into an unexpected visual merging. Playing off both the similarities and differences in sartorial codes of tennis and golf, Trotter presented check-printed pleated skirts in a below-the-knee length; a range of green shades via jumpsuits, coats & knits; argyle jumpers and tank tops… It was a sporty bonanza appealing to everyone, regardless of your backhand or putting skills. And then possibly the hottest knit of the season – a mix of mohair and ribbed textures, all mismatched in stripes and colours. It came out as the penultimate look and will stay in our minds until we can actually get our hands one one… Siri: put six months on the timer.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans.
