Over much of the past year, tennis has flooded pop culture with illustrious films like Challengers taking over screens and motifs of the game popping up all over fashion but one team has broken their opponents serve for decades. Continuing to explore the sophistication of tennis through fashion, the Lacoste Fall/Winter 2025 collection focuses on style off the courts. While much of the Lacoste archive stems from tennis heritage, creative director Pelagia Kolotouros shifts to explore founder René Lacoste's life as a socialite and businessman. Nicknamed “The Crocodile” by the American press for his relentless energy on the courts, René Lacoste carried that name with him throughout his later life when he became revered as an urban socialite for his fashion and lifestyle. 

The collection includes classic Lacoste fabrics and casual, sporty silhouettes at the forefront of the design effort. There's an aspect of elevated elegance within each look, especially featured in looks 27 and 29, which provide more structure with double-breasted coats in a bright magenta color. Motifs to René’s lifestyle are sprinkled throughout the collection, including his name, a tennis racquet, and the Davis Cup. Rich textures shine through in knitwear pieces made from wool and cashmere, complemented by more visually compelling textures like nylon. The layered styling also emphasizes the brand's commitment to versatility. 

The collection builds on itself as it progresses, with later looks to emphasize an almost subtle innovation, but the deeper viewers dive into the collection, the more detail that’s uncovered. The shape and structure of the bags are sleek yet subversive, and the embellishments placed on belts indicate purposeful styling choices that emulate refinement and attention to detail. The Fall/Winter 2025 collection from Lacoste indicates Kolotouros’s intention to expand the brand's presence beyond the court while continuing to honor the brand's heritage.

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