Mens Sport Striped Stretch Golf Polo Lacoste Review
The famous Lacoste crocodile is i of the most iconic logos in sporty menswear, and it's typically associated with polo shirts (also as luxury, in that regard). So, as part of our Is Information technology Worth Information technology? serial, we'll talk about the history of the brand, the workmanship of the iconic polo, quality, value, and more than, to determine if a Lacoste polo shirt is worth your hard-earned money or not!
The History of Lacoste
Lacoste was founded in 1933 past the famous and quite successful tennis actor René Lacoste and the French textile magnate André Gillier.
Before in the 1920s, Lacoste had developed his own lawn tennis shirt, inspired by polo shirts. He had removed the long sleeves and the buttons and used the piqué textile for his shirts. They actually used to wear tennis sweaters at that fourth dimension, which is plain way also hot.
René Lacoste'southward nickname was "The Crocodile," and and then, it was simply natural to choose the crocodile every bit his logo. Admittedly, information technology's a strange nickname. Some people say he got it later on betting a crocodile leather bag confronting winning a match. Others say information technology's considering he had a long olfactory organ. We don't really know what information technology was.
Earlier World War II, Lacoste tennis shirts or polo shirts were mostly sold to people in the tennis world or fans. It wasn't until 1951 that Lacoste stripped the patterns of the shirts and introduced more colors to entreatment to a wider, more than general audience. At that time, the polo shirt competed with regular sports shirt equally a staple particular in a homo'southward wardrobe.
A year after, in 1952, Lacoste started cooperating with Izod to expand into the Usa market. The collaboration lasted until 1993. Withal today, the proper name Izod is closely related to Lacoste in the The states, even though at present, Izod is a different, more than mid-to-low market brand. Lacoste is its own thing, and they're no longer connected. It definitely helped that famous people like Eisenhower wore polo shirts when playing golf game.
From the 1960s through the '80s, licensing deals were popular, and the make expanded into leather goods, other sports garments, and stuff similar cologne. Faced with potent competition by the 1980s, Lacoste tried to lower the cost, which worked for a short fourth dimension. But, eventually, it led to Lacoste being perceived equally a cheap brand, and information technology wasn't good.
It wasn't until the early on 2000s when a new leadership reinvigorated the perception of luxury into Lacoste polo shirts, touting the rich history and bringing in some celebrity endorsements. Today, Lacoste is a big player in the polo shirt market place, valued at around 2.three billion US dollars. Even though they sell a bunch of different things, front and center is definitely their polo shirt.
Near Lacoste polos are fabricated from a piqué knit, simply they likewise have jersey knits and a t-shirt style material. They're almost made out of 100% cotton, and there are some blends. If you desire to larn more about the all-time polo shirt materials, our guide has you covered.
Lacoste Polo Shirt Review: Material & Quality
For this review, we looked at 7 different Lacoste polo shirts, and all of them were 100% cotton, which is adequately the standard for the brand, at least in the United states. Cotton comes in a wide range of quality, and so we explain information technology in-depth in our Cotton wool Explained guide.
When we tried to find out what cotton Lacoste uses, we establish out that it used one of the nearly resistant and flexible kinds of cotton on the market. Well, what does that mean? Really, nothing. They don't provide any information on the stapling of the cotton, the sourcing, or the harvesting, which would back up the claims they made.
Some Lacoste shirts explicitly state that they are made from Pima cotton, which is actress-long-staple cotton, which is good. Other shirts just say organic cotton or 100% cotton fiber. And that, again, doesn't hateful that much.
Lacoste also heavily emphasizes their piqué cotton, which makes sense because information technology's office of their history. Piqué is a knitted cloth that has a kind of waffle structure. It is non woven, which means it'south, more often than not, more flexible and has more stretch in all directions.
By the way, Germans distinguish between "stoff," which is textile, and "strick," which is knit. In the English language, yous can telephone call a knitted textile textile and a woven cloth fabric. But, while a knitted material has a stretch in all ways, a woven cloth stretches in one way but not the 90-degree opposite bending. That'due south just part of the technicality of a weave with warp and weft.
Lacoste employs a classic two-needle knitting approach to ensure they go the quality they desire. They also claim to use long-staple cotton for the thread to make sure the whole polo stays together for the foreseeable future. Again, they don't go into detail about the specific thread and how strong it is, and what they do. They brand information technology more most the brand, not almost the ingredients of the polo shirt.
Over the years, some people have claimed that Lacoste's quality has gone downhill, and they phone call the piqué material too sparse and flimsy, while others describe information technology as lightweight, breathable, and soft. In my mind, the piqué is definitely on the finer side. It doesn't have these large open holes and doesn't have as much texture equally some other piqué fabrics do. I was surprised that even though it has a tighter knit, my breast hair still pokes through.
Then, they accept their t-shirt material, which is basically similar a regular t-shirt, just with a polo shirt collar and a rib on the sleeve, which frankly I don't like that much. They also offer jersey polos, which is a different kind of knit, and we only had one shirt from their sport collection, which was cut roomier, and it definitely didn't have every bit much flex equally the piqué cloth.
So, in terms of flexibility, the t-shirt is most flexible, and then comes the piqué, and so comes your jersey. In terms of construction, Lacoste emphasizes that they endeavour to be consistent by using the aforementioned kind of cotton for entire batches. So, you lot always end upwardly with a similar, comparable event, and you can get back and buy a new Lacoste polo shirt, trusting that it feels like the 1 you bought before.
Colorfastness and Colour Range
Lacoste is big into their colors, and and then, they dye everything at one time, ensuring that it's consequent. And they also have low-cal testing to brand sure your colors don't fade prematurely. I hateful, eventually, if you lot take a brilliant colour and get out it in the sun all day, every day, it will certainly fade on a cotton knit material. But, overall, I think Lacoste keeps their color rather well.
Their colour range is ane of the huge advantages of Lacoste. They offer more forty colors. And now, you could say, "Well, Ralph Lauren offers over sixty colors." And while that is true, I discover the Lacoste polo shirt colors more highly-seasoned because they include more than pastel colors, and they're but a bit less bold.
Don't become me wrong, you notwithstanding can get plenty of bold colors from Lacoste, like an orangish polo shirt, for example. But, they as well offer these subtle tones where Ralph Lauren, maybe, only has a subtle pink and a subtle bluish. Simply not a subtle green or subtle yellowish.
Lacoste likewise has options in beige or dark-brown, or gray. And, I recall, overall, they just nail their colors, and it seems like they're always changing them, which some will exist on sale and others won't. Just, maybe, you want a seafoam green or pale turquoise. That's the color you'll become from Lacoste.
Collars on Lacoste Polo Shirts
Almost of their polo shirt collars are made from ribbed cotton wool. And nosotros simply had one polo shirt with a piffling crocodile impress on them that had a slightly unlike color. And the jersey polo had a jersey collar. While these are the classic polo shirt collars that y'all can find on 95% of all polo shirts out there, I don't like them very much considering they whorl very easily and simply don't stay every bit abrupt and slap-up as bodily collars made like a shirt collar out of the same piqué or jersey material.
Typically, that's what higher-finish brands offering, but I've besides seen that from Uniqlo, for example, which is more of a $20 polo shirt. It features regular set up-in sleeves, which are ribbed and finished with the aforementioned type of ribbed cut textile that the cotton is made of.
Buttons and Buttonholes
Lacoste polos ordinarily feature two buttons and 2 buttonholes. Interestingly, all the buttonholes, no thing how many, are cutting horizontally instead of just the meridian neckband buttonhole, which is more typical. This means it's a niggling more difficult to get the button to line up exactly with a buttonhole, which speaks for their higher and precise sewing quality. At the aforementioned time, it's a piffling more difficult to button the push if you actually desire to exercise that.
All the same, they don't offer a shank on the button, which would be a authentication of a quality sewn-on button. Typically, yous do that because, with 2 layers of fabric, if you lot button it, you get a piffling flake of wrinkling around that button if it doesn't accept the extra shank length.
The classic fit model that we bought retails at $95, and it has those two-pigsty, very feature Lacoste buttons that are actually fabricated out of female parent of pearl, which is nice. All the other half-dozen shirts we bought, which were not part of the classic fit, had only plastic buttons. Some of them had two holes, others iv, and others even had the logo branded on the button.
Lacoste offers their polo in a archetype fit, a slimmer regular fit, and an even slimmer slim fit. The regular fit retails for $89.fifty and has just four old buttons in plastic, the slim fit also retails for $95 and has a two-pigsty push button just similar the classic one, but they're plastic.
Lacoste Crocodile Logo Detail
When it comes to the famous logo, it'southward fairly consistent across the range, and Lacoste claims they have over 1200 stitches in it. Information technology's apparently machine-made and not hand-embroidered. The logo was mostly green with a white edge and a red tongue, and some black contrasting thread.
The logo is nigh 1 and ⅛ of an inch wide and near ⅝ of an inch tall. That'southward virtually 2.8 centimeters by i.5 centimeters. Interestingly, the regular fit, t-shirt material polo shirt that we had hither had a slightly smaller logo measured effectually one inch by one-half an inch or roughly two.five centimeters by 1.three centimeters. Just, if y'all look at them side past side, you can see that one is clearly smaller. I don't know if that's part of the style or made in a unlike manufactory. But, I thought it was noteworthy for a company that pays so much attention to their branding.
Polo Shirt Structure
In terms of construction, the run up density of the Lacoste polo shirt is well-nigh 12 stitches per inch or nearly one run up per ii millimeters, which isn't super high. Only, I'm wondering whether, with the material like the piqué knit having too many stitches, it may really weaken the material rather than strengthening information technology.
It may be a bit similar leather, where a super high-stitch density actually makes the textile more porous and more likely to rip. I'grand proverb that because, typically, in a college-end shirt, you run into at least xx stitches for an inch. Overall, the stitching is very straight, consistent, and neat.
The greatest multifariousness between the shirts was visible at the side seam at the bottom hem. The t-shirt material was hemmed apartment similar a typical t-shirt. The Made-in-France polo had a deep upside downward v-cutting that was enhanced by crimson contrast stitching on navy. When y'all apply a strong contrast thread, every sewing imperfection becomes immediately visible.
The other shirts had diverse shapes of inverted v's; some were rounder, some were more pointy, some were longer, some were shorter. And, once more, I wonder if that has to do with different factories where they're made at.
Lacoste Polo Price Points
If yous just look at their retail price, $89.l is their lowest retail price for a regular fit. But, you lot can get them on sale in their boutiques or their online shop, or at places like Amazon. Only brand certain you don't buy from a third-party vendor because Lacoste polo shirts are definitely faked.
For example, the regular shirt I got for merely $53, the classic I got for $55, and a slim fit for $61. Their special knit with the stripe retail at $98. I got information technology for $54. Their Paris polo with a subconscious fly retails for $110. I got mine for $66. Their croc print or comparable, more than out-there polo shirts retail for $135. I got mine for $75. Their Made-in-French republic polo retails at $175, and I got mine for $103. Lacoste offers both brusk sleeve and long sleeve polo shirts, which is a good thing in my listen.
They take two principal styles, the original and the Paris. The original comes in the classic fit, regular fit, and slim fit. The Paris comes in a classic and regular fit.
The original Lacoste polo shirt is besides known nether the abbreviation, internally, every bit L.12.12. The Fifty stands for Lacoste, the offset ane for the piqué cloth. The outset 2 stands for the short sleeves and the 12 at the end stands for the successful prototype.
Once more, only the classic comes with mother of pearl buttons with two holes. The collar is slightly bigger than the Paris polo simply adequately classic. The neckband is ribbed but like the armbands, and it'due south made of piqué cotton fiber, and it'due south just their typical classic manner.
Shirt Offerings
Lacoste has a range of shirts, but we only expect at the polo shirts under the aspect of coincidental wear, not how they perform on the tennis courtroom. Unless, of course, you lot want to come across me or Kyle get toe-to-toe with a lawn tennis lucifer on the court. Tell united states in the comments.
Apart from the original and Paris polos, Lacoste offers a range of different collections, and they fifty-fifty accept stuff similar the National Geographic polo. They really have everything from standard stripes, solid geometric patterns, diagonals, prints, and creature patterns.
Personally, I like to stick to the classics, the solid looks, and the stripes. I'one thousand not a big fan of their little logo-printed polos. But, if you lot can pull off the National Geographic polo, all the more than power to you.
They likewise offer a sport polo, which was patently cut the widest, had the longest sleeves. But, overall, I'd much rather prefer the original fit or Paris polo in a archetype or a slim or regular fit to the sport polo. Information technology just felt besides baggy for me.
How Does the Lacoste Original Polo Fit?
In our experience, it runs, overall, quite pocket-size for American size. That being said, there are differences betwixt the sizes. In terms of length, the classic is longer than the regular, which is longer than the slim.
All the polo shirts I got were a size 6, which corresponds to an extra-large. And, typically, I go for a large, only I checked their size guide and size 6 or extra-big was supposedly the right size. When I got them, they fit, and I think their Twoscore or size 6 is the right size for me.
All the Lacoste polos we got had the same length in the front and dorsum, which is non always typical. Many polo shirt brands have a longer back than the front end, which makes it amend for tucking in, and so it doesn't come undone.
Many people have complained that Lacoste poles are short. So, we compared them to other polo shirts. I used a size medium from Ralph Lauren, and yous tin can conspicuously see that that's quite a bit longer, especially in the back than the extra-large, which is two sizes upwards in Lacoste.
We too compared a Uniqlo polo shirt in size L, which is one size down from the extra-large on Lacoste, but it had the same length.
And then, yes, Lacoste polos run shorter in full general. And if you have a long torso or you similar longer polos, information technology may non be the best brand for you. I'm about 6'1″ tall or 184 centimeters, and I weigh about 210 pounds or about 95 kilograms.
The classic polo is cut straight. It'southward a fleck looser but not baggy by any means. The sleeves are not so big that they're flopping around. But they're definitely longer than the other fits, but they still bear on my biceps.
The fit is essentially a traditional await, and if you wear high-waisted pants the way I exercise, tucking it in should be no problem because there's enough length in that location.
The slim fit has a more tapered cut overall. It has shorter sleeves and tighter sleeves. Information technology'due south tighter in the shoulders, tighter in the chest, waist, and seat. The fit is extremely popular with younger men, simply it can exist unforgiving if you cull your regular size and go in a slim considering it's actually slim. I chose their actress-large, so I sized up and got slim. And I think it actually works just fine for me.
The regular fit is not available in all of their polo shirts, merely information technology's essentially between the slim fit and the classic fit. To learn more about how a polo shirt should fit, our guide has you covered!
Depending on the drove, Lacoste polos come betwixt seven and x sizes, which is quite a bit. Definitely check out their size guide, so you get something that fits you now.
How Does the Lacoste Paris Polo Fit?
The Paris polo comes in a archetype fit and a regular fit. It's different visually because it has a hidden forepart placket, so you don't run across the buttons, and the collar is definitely smaller. As well, the famous crocodile logo is tone-on-tone, so information technology's a fiddling more than subdued. And, personally, I'd rather have no logos on my chest, and so I'd rather clothing the Paris polo than their original ane.
People often associate the Paris polo with a younger await because it's a piffling cleaner, and the collar is a piffling smaller, which is only a little more than style-forward.
Where are Lacoste Polos Fabricated?
They still take a manufactory in France. Only, they also industry under a license. And of the other seven polos I bought, six were fabricated in Republic of peru, and only i was made in French republic.
Pros of a Lacoste Polo Shirt
1. Lots of Options
A big pro is that Lacoste offers many styles, colors, patterns, and fits for their polo shirts. Information technology's definitely a polo shirt visitor.
two. Colors Don't Fade Quickly
The colors also stand up well against fading. And they accept a very sophisticated color range, including lots of pastels.
3. Consistent Workmanship
From what we can tell, their polo shirts are fairly consistent in terms of workmanship and material.
4. Easy To Obtain
They're like shooting fish in a barrel to find in retail stores, and you tin order them online worldwide.
5. Quality Fabrics
Their piqué fabric is nice if you like something lighter and thinner. The jersey fabric is nice, too, and I believe they work actually well for men who are on the shorter side and are on the slimmer side, too.
Cons of a Lacoste Polo Shirt
1. The Sizing Runs Pocket-size
If you're a bigger admirer, yous may accept a difficult time finding the right size for you.
2. They Also Run Short
Another negative attribute is they run a niggling short across the board. So, if you are taller, you lot have a long torso, you'll probably have a hard time finding a polo shirt that works well for yous.
Because of that, it'south harder to take them remain tucked in if you wear pants beneath your waist level, more on your hips. If yous like trousers or pants or shorts with a traditional higher rise, you won't take a problem.
3. Ribbed Collar
Another con in my book is the ribbed neckband, and, yes, I know it's fairly standard. But, if y'all charge more, I expect a higher quality shirt-manner collar or, at least, give me the option in one of your shirts.
4. Lacoste Charges Luxury Prices
Another con is that Lacoste wants to exist a luxury brand, and you definitely pay a markup for that branding.
v. Plastic Buttons
I too really don't like that they use plastic buttons for everything other than the original polo and the classic fit. In my mind, it simply cheapens the overall brand.
Our Verdict: Is the Lacoste Polo Shirt Worth Information technology?
First of all, effigy out what you lot desire out of your polo shirt. If you lot just desire something to article of clothing while doing your garden work or run around the house, mayhap spending the extra money on the Lacoste branding is not justified. If you vesture polo shirts regularly during the summer and enjoy wearing them, it can be a practiced contender.
The big questions, then, are: Does the polo fit you, or does information technology puddle weirdly? Or does information technology have weird wrinkles, and exercise you like the fit and the style, as well equally the material they offer?
For case, if y'all have a longer torso and it just doesn't expect skillful on you, well, it doesn't brand sense, and information technology's not worth your coin.
Practice you want a polo shirt in just the bones colors such as navy or, maybe, gray? So, you can go with other brands. Simply, if yous want those special, unusual colors, I think Lacoste is really good.
Also, are you okay with having logos on your clothing, or practice you prefer not to take logos? For case, if I have logos on my vesture, I always feel similar I'k a walking billboard, which is not something I aspire to.
If you expect at other brands, such as Uniqlo, for example, they take polo shirts without whatsoever logos on them, and information technology costs $20. The trade-off is, of course, y'all know their fabrics are a bit rougher, they're blended, and more functioning fabrics, and they only have the basic colors, and I can't get all the nuanced ones that Lacoste offers.
When it comes to brands, here at Gentleman's Gazette, we, generally, don't put too much value or emphasis on that, and we rather await at the quality and the value, which is the quality to price ratio.
Looking at information technology from that bending, Lacoste offers a polar shirt with thinner, lighter fabric, and if you like that, I think you become an above-boilerplate polo shirt. Only, you likewise pay an to a higher place-average price. Bluntly, that's much improve than some other brands, which, in our opinion, are much bigger rip-offs.
Yes, Lacoste has a markup. That happens pretty much with whatever other big brand. Ralph Lauren, for instance, I would say, is the same thing. Become a more well-known brand, and y'all pay more than lower-end polo shirts. That's just how information technology goes.
Are they super luxury polos with high-terminate Giza Egyptian cotton, manus-made buttonholes, and really prissy collars? No, they're not. They sit somewhere effectually the elevated to a higher place-average range, but they're not the top-end luxurious polo shirt.
That being said, we understand that some men like to wear brands for various reasons. Some, maybe, like the brand recognition. Others experience like they're participating in building the brand by wearing it. And Lacoste certainly has the history to boot.
Then, in the end, I'd say Lacoste is worth it if y'all don't have an overly long body, you lot're okay with their shorter lengths, you want some interesting colors, and y'all're okay with having a crocodile logo on your chest, and you're okay with having a ribbed neckband.
If you're value-witting, behave in mind that they regularly have sales with 40% to 50% off on their site and in other outlets, and at that toll betoken, the value becomes much meliorate, obviously.
Because of the prestige associated with their polos, in that location are lots of Lacoste rip-offs. So, buy from a licensed retailer, purchase directly from their shops, their online shop, or from places like Amazon, where you know that someone has a reputation to lose.
I eagerly expect forward to reading all the comments from Lacoste and Polo Ralph Lauren fanboys alike. Also, if you lot have other polo shirts that y'all recall are really high-quality, please let us know in the comments!
Source: https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/lacoste-polo-shirt-review/
0 Response to "Mens Sport Striped Stretch Golf Polo Lacoste Review"
Post a Comment