Felipe Oliveira Baptista has achieved a great deal during his three-year tenure at Lacoste. The Portuguese designer continued his successful run at the label with another sophisticated collection that not only paid homage to the brand's sporting heritage, but highlighted his adventurous, avant-garde spirit as well. Inspired by the designer's visit to Chantaco, the 1920s golf course built by René Lacoste's father-in-law, Lacoste's latest offerings were steeped in architectural and natural references. Aside from working in a palette of vegetal greens (which ranged from olive to mint and ivy), Baptista also created a dynamic angular print that mimicked the Art Deco linearity of the Chantaco clubhouse and its metal windowpanes. The strength of the collection was rooted in an underlying jauntiness that ran through the pieces. Slouchy trousers for both men and women were sleek and well cut. Structured coats were paired with soft, sloping shoulders for an easy feel. The restrained monochrome looks helped to showcase subtler details, like a vented pocket or an attached hood to a jacket. Finished off with a beanie or the classic Chantaco leather bag, the contemporary appeal of the veritable house could not be any stronger.
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
