Lacoste: The Element of Style, a smashing new book dedicated to the famed French brand about to be published by
Assouline, covers much more than just sport shirts; it's about
savoir vivre and
savoir faire, literally "how to live" and "how to be" with plenty of style. It's designed to illuminate the contemporary relevance of the legacy of René
Lacoste, the brand's founder who was the best
tennis player in the world at the end of the Roaring Twenties. Nicknamed "Le Crocodile" for his tenacity on the court he began sporting an alligator patch on his blazers starting in 1927, which then became the basis for the sportswear brand he founded in 1933, one of the first labels to marry American functionality with European elegance. He also designed tennis rackets and other equipment, filing 25 patents during his lifetime.
The logo was applied to the easy breathing piqué sports
shirts Lacoste favored, which helped him to cope with the heat on American tennis courts. It was a major revolution for players, who until then had worn starched, long-sleeve dress shirts even on the hottest days. The book comes in various different colors, a nod to the fact that Lacoste began producing its shirts in dozens of different shades well before anyone else caught the color bug. Until the 1950s, only white polos and shirts were allowed on tennis courts, but beginning in 1951, the company dared to add contrasting elements in navy blue, then red. That helped revitalize fashion both on and off the courts and presaged the color explosion of the 1960s.