Pleated skirts, polo skirts, white tennis shoes: fashion’s obsession with all things tennis exploded last spring and hasn’t faded. The trend is to give every wardrobe a touch of Wimbledon whites, whether you’re into the sport or not, and it’s driving renewed interest in brands with tennis in their DNA, like Lacoste.
Timing is everything, on and off the pitch. Under the creative direction of Louise Trotter, the first leading female designer in the brand’s history, Lacoste is reinventing its approach to tennis fashion and treating it more like a lifestyle than a sport. He’s not ditching the preppy polos he’s arguably best known for, he’s also experimenting with “fashion sport” silhouettes like structural trench coats and colour-blocked matching ensembles. And to support the brand’s vision, Lacoste named tennis phenom Venus Williams as its latest global ambassador.
Last week, ahead of an intimate dinner in Miami to celebrate Williams’ new role, the seven-time Grand Slam champion joined Trotter and BAZAAR.com to share how the vibe of the new Lacoste translates from the tennis court and beyond. The pair discuss how court style influences their personal style, the Lacoste items they wear most often, and why they think tennis fashion is bigger than ever.
Fashion has had an ongoing infatuation with tennis for some time now. What do you think is driving the recent rise in the appearance of tennis and how do you feel about being so intertwined with the sport?
Venus Williams: I am absolutely obsessed with tennis fashion and the rise of tennis skirts. I’m seeing it in real time, seeing everyone wear them on the courts for exercise, but also in ready-to-wear. This fad pops up from time to time now, but I think it’s come in the biggest way it’s ever had, ever before. And of course we can give credit to people who want to exercise outdoors, trying to find safe ways to work, and that translated to all places in life.
Louise Trotter: I totally echo what Venus says. But also, I came to Lacoste three and a half years ago. It was just the beginning of what would become a massive fashion obsession in tennis.
I think it’s also the fact that from a fashion standpoint we’re really riding a heritage wave and really responding to things that have iconic heritage — they come from a real, authentic place. I think that’s part of the reason. But I also think that with everything we’ve been through, sport is a way of living life. And I think that tennis also influences that, because it is a game that you can play anywhere.
Buy Lacoste tennis fashion
Heritage Check Double Collar Trench Coat
$186.99
Nylon shoulder bag with metal crocodile strap
$75.99
Heritage Pleated Drawstring Short Skirt
$95.99
Fluid piqué polo shirt
$110.00
Printed Waist Leggings
$57.99
Zip-up lightweight mesh jacket
$125.99
Colour-Blocked Track Pants
$92.99
polo dress
$155.00
Venus, you have worn many tennis brands on and off the court throughout your career. When and how did Lacoste enter your tennis wardrobe? Do you remember your first piece of the brand?
ww: The first discovery, for me, was as a child. Obviously I have played tennis forever and I know the Lacoste brand, and I know the history behind tennis. So I’ve always been very familiar with it.
Were you a Lacoste polo girl?
ww: I mean, of course, everyone loves a polo. Everyone needs a basic polo shirt, whether it’s black or white or a crazy color. That’s like something necessary. So, of course, a pole is the moment, but now it is much more.
jason koernerfake images
Louise, Lacoste is branching out in many new directions beyond those classic shirts. Tell us a bit more about the direction in fashion and sport you’re taking the brand and your biggest design influences for the new era.
LT: I’m not going to give myself credit, because I think René [Lacoste] I was doing that from the beginning. I think it was, from the beginning, a bridge between fashion and sport. And I think she saw the polo beyond a piece that she used to play tennis. I think she saw it as a lifestyle. So, I’m going to put René as the person who inspired me for that.
I think my job is to really channel him and what he established for this brand, and try to bring that to today. I don’t think I’m creating something new, I’m just making it relevant.
How much of the new look comes from existing brand motifs, compared to pieces that are totally new to Lacoste?
LT: It is always a combination of both. Because, first of all, I firmly believe that René was a man who looked to the future. I don’t think he was someone who was really mentally living life in the past. So I search the archive a lot for inspiration. But at the same time, I think you have to be aware that you have to bring an eclectic approach, not just a filter. I think nowadays the way we live our lives is quite eclectic and the reference points are quite eclectic, so I try to incorporate different sports codes and elements that I think Renee would be doing if she were here.
Which piece from Lacoste’s new range of silhouettes do you see yourself wearing the most and how do you wear it?
ww: I love monkeys. We did a report for British Vogue and I wore this amazing bodysuit. My ponytail was flying and I felt like a superhero. There are so many moments, but that was it.
LT: On the contrary, I really like the classics. I love designing fashion pieces but I live in classic pieces. I tend to wear a uniform, so I often go for the perfect striped shirt, the perfect white polo. So I think we stay pretty balanced. We kind of have a part where you’re more interesting, right? [Laughs]
ww: For me, I find that my wardrobe is about reinventing myself and finding these new moments with different pieces and different shapes. I go crazy with it, actually. I don’t even know if it’s wittier or something, it’s just about how you feel, right?
LT: When we first started working together, I put together 20 looks for Venus because we had just started working and, you know, I wanted to see what she naturally leaned towards. And you are incredibly decisive: you knew exactly what you wanted.
And was what she wanted a bodysuit?
LT: It was a bodysuit. [To Venus:] I was very impressed with how confident and direct you were in what you wanted to put on. And when you use it, how much you own it.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Source: www.harpersbazaar.com