Lacoste Spring 2014: Rigid lines meet modern architecture

With Lacoste’s sportswear heritage in the back of his mind, designer Felipe Oliveira Baptista sent an elevated streetwear collection down the runway for Spring/Summer 2014. Inspired by the rigid lines defining the space of a tennis court, and the transparency and lightness of modernist architecture, Baptista put the two opposing concepts together in the mens- and womenswear shown, each look channeling the effect of an arcing tennis ball that is the product of the player’s force and grace.

Fluidity appeared primarily in sheer panels strategically placed on various women’s looks. One pink tunic dress had broad bands of fabric covering the model’s chest and hips, while the remainder of the piece was sheer. The overall effect conveyed summer sunlight, with that season’s rainy conditions also addressed via a pistachio green transparent nylon organza trenchcoat that flowed with the ease of a lighter fabric.

White lines sharply defined the edges of a trim green suit for men, while elegant dashes announced the tops of pockets and equally thin stripes ran down the sides of narrow pants. For women, thicker terracotta stripes outlined a below-the-knee pencil skirt and matching knit pink crop top – a surprising perpetuation of the crop top trend into spring. Worn with sneakers, this outfit had undeniable attitude, and similar retro sneakers for men and women nicely tied together outfits within the collection’s earthy palette. Some of the female models were styled with heels, but the sneakers more closely reflected the tone of the collection as a whole and brought everything back to Lacoste’s sporty origins.

Photos: Lacoste Spring 2014 – New York Fashion Week
all photos by Ekaterina Golovinskaya / Meniscus Magazine