Lacoste for Women: The Polo, the Tennis Dress and the Crocodile Since 1933

In 1923, René Lacoste made a bet with his Davis Cup captain: if he won his match, he would get the crocodile skin suitcase he had his eye on. He lost, but the American press loved the story and started calling him the Crocodile. A friend drew him a little crocodile, and he had it stitched onto the blazer he wore on court.

 

Ten years later, in 1933, he and André Gillier, who ran one of the biggest knitwear businesses in France, started making the shirt René had designed for himself: short sleeves, a soft collar and a breathable cotton knit called petit piqué. They named it the L.12.12, for Lacoste, petit piqué, short sleeves and the twelfth prototype. Lacoste calls the crocodile on its chest the first logo ever put on a garment.

 

Pelagia Kolotouros has been the creative director since 2023, after years leading design at The North Face, and her first show for the brand, in March 2024, was held at Roland-Garros. The women's line now has far more knit dresses, pleats and soft tailoring than the logo polo alone, and I pulled 92 pieces from six shops, grouped by what you will actually wear them for.

 

Sizing tip: Lacoste polos come in Slim, Regular and Relaxed fits, so check which one a listing is before you order your usual size.

The petit piqué polo is still the reason to buy Lacoste. It is a slightly textured cotton knit, so it breathes and keeps its shape after a lot of washes, and the crocodile is embroidered, not printed.

 

The Regular Fit Supple Petit Piqué, here in white and green, is the one I would buy first. The Slim Fit L.12.D in black and dark green is the one to tuck into a skirt, the Relaxed Fit in navy is the one for jeans, and the oversized striped long-sleeved polo in pink and burgundy is the fun one. The pointelle knit polo, the long-sleeved polo sweater and the cashmere polo collar knit are the dressier versions, and there is a black slim polo from the Lacoste x BANDIER collaboration.

 

For tennis, the sleeveless Dual Fabric polo, the UV protect polo with green tipping and two Heritage and Core Sport court polos are cut to move.

 

Tip: piqué shrinks a little in a hot dryer, so wash it cold and lay it flat. What I would skip: an oversized polo in a fit you have not tried, because the shoulders can swallow a small frame.

A polo dress is the easiest way to wear Lacoste away from a tennis club: one piece, a collar, and nothing else to think about.

 

The Polo Collar Belted Petit Piqué dress in navy and the Flared Mini-Piqué polo dress are the classic shapes, the striped cotton polo dress in blue and white is the summer one, and the Pleated Fluid Jersey polo dress in dark green falls to the calf. The 3D knit merino polo dress in burgundy is for colder months, and the slim stretch piqué polo dress comes in white and black.

 

For the court, the Dual Fabric pleated tennis dress and tennis dresses in white, black and purple are built to run in, with shorts or a liner underneath.

 

Tip: with a polo dress, swap the sneakers for a loafer or a flat sandal and it reads as a day dress. What I would skip: a white tennis dress for a long day out, because it shows everything.

René Lacoste designed his shirt to play in, and the brand still makes real tennis kit. These are the pieces I would actually wear to a lesson or a club match.

 

The Ultra Dry tennis skirt with a liner, the lined tennis shorts in olive and the light blue Ultra Dry skort are the practical basics, the French Tennis Team shorts and the Clay Players shorts are navy, and the Players and Heritage pleated skirts come in white, with a pink Court Essential skirt. On top, there is a black Players polo and a white ribbed tank.

 

The layers are a white Players jacket, a black midlayer full zip, a maroon Heritage full zip and a relaxed black tennis jacket, with the Heritage pant in navy and black tennis trackpants for warming up.

 

Tip: buy tennis skirts with a built-in short, so you are not adjusting all match. What I would skip: cotton piqué for a hot match, when the Ultra Dry fabrics do the job better.

Lacoste knitwear is underrated. The shirt itself was made with a French knitwear maker, and the sweaters still feel like they come from that world.

 

The Rib Knit merino cardigan in camel and the short-sleeved 3D knit sweater in navy are the two I would wear most. The oversized ribbed polo collar sweater in grey and the polo collar piqué sweatshirt in brown keep the collar, the double face jersey sweatshirt is white and soft, and the zip-up piqué hoodie and monogram hoodie are both pale pink.

 

There is also an ivory cardigan with green and navy trim that is made in France, a lime cotton jersey sweatshirt, an oversized white hoodie, a green logo fleece and a blue French terry sweatshirt.

 

Tip: fold merino and cashmere instead of hanging them, so the shoulders keep their shape. What I would skip: a pale pink hoodie worn with dark new jeans, because indigo rubs off.

This is the group that makes the rest of the edit work. A Lacoste polo looks better with a pleated skirt or a straight jean than with gym shorts, and these are the pieces to build around it.

 

For jackets, the Reflective Crocodile print tennis jacket is black and shiny, the oversized track jacket is navy, the water-repellent mid-length coat is beige and the hooded water-repellent jacket is a black puffer. The cotton denim jacket matches the straight cut high waist jeans, and the seersucker jacket in light pink is the summer one.

 

For skirts, the short pleated denim skirt in navy, the pleated petit piqué midi skirt in cream and the interlock piqué skirt in green are the ones I like, plus pale pink piqué sweatpants and relaxed olive cotton sweatpants.

 

Tip: a pleated midi skirt with a polo and flats is the most Lacoste outfit there is. What I would skip: the denim jacket and jeans together unless the washes really match.

Lacoste sneakers are tennis shoes first, and the best ones still look like it.

 

The Slam Break is the chunky one, in off-white and as a Premium leather pair in cream and burgundy. The Baseshot Pro Strap comes in brown suede and white leather with a gum sole, the Tennis Ballerina low profile comes in white and black, the Elite Active is the cushioned one in cream with blue, and the Ziane is the platform.

 

Tip: the strap Baseshot is the easiest pair to get on and off at airport security. What I would skip: white leather sneakers on a rainy day without a protective spray.

The L.12.12 Concept tote is the Lacoste bag most people already know, with the same piqué texture as the shirt pressed into it.

 

Here it is large in black and small in tan, and the Anna reversible tote in navy and red comes with a pouch, with a black reversible version too. The Anna zip tote is mauve, the Small Lenglen leather bag is a bright fuchsia with a pleated front, and the Everyday Club flap shoulder bag is black.

 

For the rest, there are white and green New Era caps, a white tennis visor, a brown corduroy hat, a cream fringed wool scarf, a green alpaca blend scarf, oval black sunglasses, a two-tone Parisienne watch and a gold heart bracelet with a pavé crocodile.

 

Tip: the reversible tote is two bags in one, so pick the side that matches your shoes that day. What I would skip: a white cap if you will not wash it.

If I were starting from nothing, I would buy one Regular Fit petit piqué polo in white, one polo dress, a pleated skirt and the Baseshot sneaker, and add from there.

 

Lacoste is at its best when it stays close to what René Lacoste wanted in 1933, a shirt you can move in. The pieces in this edit that do that are the ones I would keep for years.

For a smaller way to wear the crocodile, I went through the Lacoste crocodile bracelet in chains, stones and gift sets.