Designer Felipe Oliveira Baptista, wearing a top with the words « un crocodile » emblazoned on it and a smile on his face, greeted a long line of well-wishers after his latest Lacoste show. « It’s kind of about futuristic ski, but also very cool, very upbeat and very wearable, » he said in a rush between warm embraces.
It’s that last bit that made this show such success: this collection was very wearable. It looked, with its long blanket dresses, quilted sleeping bag coats and overlong hoodie jacket hybrids, like it belonged on the streets of New York City, where the temperature is currently well below freezing. Who wouldn’t want to cozy up to a roomy knit sweater or dress with matching mittens zippered onto the sleeves or an azure velvet trackskirt and matching jacket? Even the scarves came with hoods built in.
One of the smartest embellishments the designer used was zippers. They raced down the back of coats, were left open on stripped tracksuit pants so the fabric would separate at the ankle, covering the footwear and skimming the floor, and they sectionalized outerwear, making it look versatile enough to evolve well over changing climates.
The slightly 70s color palette and the use of naughty PVC pieces added a bit of youthful rebellion to this winning wardrobe, as did the quirky retro pixelated video game embroideries of skiers, pine trees and snowmen that were so old school that they looked cool again.
Everything about this collection felt considered and highly appropriate for what people need, but also want right now. Lacoste should count on quite a few people signing up to become part of Oliveira Baptista’s crocodile clan come next winter.