René Lacoste invented the Polo in 1932, then called the L.12.12 Polo. Afterwhich he established the brand Lacoste. When I think of Lacoste, I think casual yet elegant clothing which ranges from perfume, shoes, bags, watches, eyewear and of course the ever famous polo.
I’ve always been a fan of the brand, the ease and effortless “unconventionally chic” clothing which I’d wear ever since I was in grade school or knew what personal style even was. Naturally, when I received the invite for Lacoste’s 80 Year anniversary, I had to make my way over to Shangri-La Plaza’s East Wing to see what was happening for the special occasion.
David Celdran was one of the hosts that evening, and explained a little about the history of the French brand and how tennis champion René Lacoste got his “Alligator” nickname from the American Press because of his tenacity in playing the game. We were then led through the different advertisements and historical photographs within the Lacoste world.
Staying true to their roots, the Lacoste exhibit dominantly shows tennis, then the other sports such as golf and… is that a futuristic game of racquetball?
Tessa Prieto-Valdes, Bianca Valerio and David Celdran in full force.
The photos really bring the Tournoi de Roland-Garros to mind.
How exciting it must be to have been to watch the greats during that time.
The exhibit also had different Crocodile types, this French flag one was definitely my favorite.
Marqueed along the walls were historical dates and facts relating to Lacoste. 1973 marked the year that Glyceria Tantoco of Rustan’s signed an exclusive agreement with Bernard Lacoste, a son of the brand’s founder, René Lacoste bringing the iconic brand to our shores.
The classic white polo, timeless and still so cool.
All-over prints, collaborations (which include the one with Karl Lagerfeld among others) were very pretty and desirable, but alas, all not for sale.
Store Specialists Inc.’s executive vice-president Anton Huang and Malu Francisco together with French Ambassador to the Philippines Gilles Garachon.
Group photo! I believe every one of us was wearing Lacoste, but Pepper Teehankee trumped us all with his Lacoste x MICHAEL STIPE / REM ‘Crowd - Red’ Visionaire 54 Polo!
The newly opened store which also has a section of the more vibrant and out there designed pieces of Lacoste L!VE. But what I was really excited about was the Peter Saville collabs which I first saw in a closed boutique in New York during my last night, and I was to leave really early the next morning giving me absolutely no time to swing by and feed my obsession with anything Joy Division/New Order/Factory Records/Saville related! It’s fate, it’s here, and I have to have it!