Lacoste goes golfing with a twist, or two

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Feb 28, 2018

It’s 2018 and the Ryder Cup is coming to France, and the greatest French sports brand of all, Lacoste, is off to the links.

 
Practically every look was informed by golfing in Lacoste’s latest show, staged on a mock course inside the Lycee Carnot on a freezing Wednesday morning in north Paris. Though, quite frankly, as any real golfer could tell you, this looked like the saddest of golf courses, with little to do with the natural beauty of a true parkland course.
 
Designer Felipe Oliveira Baptista’s first drives: flowing nylon parkas for a wet day on the bunkers; knit dresses for a cocktail on the 19th green; and inside-out blousons with shearling patches to follow a round by a major professional.

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This September, the Ryder Cup comes to France for the first time, to be staged September 28-30 at Le Golf National, one hour from Paris. The official boutique of the competition is already offering 2018 Ryder Cup Lacoste polos, but Felipe has much wackier fare in mind. Natty blousons and sweatshirts covered in leaves, fir trees, putters, wedges and several drivers.
 
He never lacks humor; like his grey sweatshirt bearing the legend La Chemise Lacoste; or a couple of fantastic nylon capes made in a patchwork pattern of tourist postcards of African tigers.
 
Oliveira Baptista also cut admirable plaid polo shirts elongated into picnic dresses and great Argyle pattern capes; and dreamed up a jump suit topped by an Eisenhower jacket.
 
All told, this was a great extension of Lacoste into golf, with some memorable fashion. The only trouble with the collection is that the company makes it incredibly difficult to actually buy. Practically none of their stores carry this runway line. Now, we know that the bread and butter of Lacoste are their polos, but getting this designer’s clothes onto actors, influencers and musicians – like the hot new French rapper Moha La Squale who sat front - is simply the smart thing to do. Hiding this creation is more than just a pity. It is dumb.