At Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2026, the French heritage house Lacoste reaffirmed its unique position between sport and luxury. The brand—founded by tennis champion René Lacoste—has always stood at the intersection of athletic performance and elegant everyday wear. For this season, creative director Pelagia Kolotouros expanded that legacy with a collection that explored the evolving identity of sportswear in modern fashion.

Presented during the women’s ready-to-wear calendar of Paris Fashion Week, which runs from early March through mid-March with dozens of international designers on the official schedule, the show placed Lacoste firmly within the ongoing conversation about contemporary luxury and functionality.

While other houses leaned into theatrical narratives, Lacoste stayed closer to its roots. The Fall/Winter 2026 collection focused on refinement, sport heritage, and the transformation of athletic codes into a sophisticated urban wardrobe.

In essence, the collection asked a simple but compelling question: What happens when performance apparel evolves into everyday elegance?

 

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runway

Before analyzing the collection itself, it’s important to understand the brand DNA guiding Kolotouros’s design philosophy.

René Lacoste—nicknamed “The Crocodile”—founded the label in 1933 after revolutionizing tennis attire. Instead of stiff shirts and formal whites, he introduced the short-sleeved piqué polo, designed for comfort and performance. The garment quickly transcended sport, becoming a cultural staple associated with effortless French style.

Over the decades, Lacoste evolved from a tennis brand into a broader lifestyle house. Yet the tennis court remained its symbolic origin point. Even in recent runway collections, the brand has emphasized spaces where sport begins—such as locker rooms and training environments—reinforcing the intimate rituals behind athletic performance.

Kolotouros, who joined Lacoste with experience from global haute brands, has steadily pushed the house toward sport-inflected luxury ready-to-wear. Her collections reinterpret traditional athletic garments—tracksuits, polos, warm-ups—through tailoring, elevated materials, and contemporary silhouettes.

Fall/Winter 2026 continues that narrative.

stir

The presentation embraced the emotional world of sport rather than just its visual codes. Lacoste has increasingly framed athletics as a cultural ritual—a moment of preparation, focus, and transformation.

This season, the runway felt like an abstract interpretation of that mindset. Models moved with the quiet confidence of athletes entering a competition arena. The styling emphasized minimalism and functionality: clean hair, understated makeup, and clothing that highlighted movement.

Across Paris Fashion Week, designers this season emphasized practicality and resilience in response to modern realities. Runway collections featured protective silhouettes, structured shapes, and pragmatic styling.

Lacoste’s FW26 show fit naturally into this broader fashion narrative. Rather than escapist glamour, Kolotouros proposed a wardrobe for real life—functional, adaptable, and confident.

sil

The core strength of the FW26 collection lies in its silhouettes. Kolotouros reworked sportswear shapes into more architectural garments without losing their athletic ease.

Several key forms dominated the runway:

1. Structured outerwear

Long wool coats appeared with subtle references to tennis warm-ups. High collars and sleek lines created a protective silhouette suited for winter city life. Some coats featured minimalist crocodile branding, reinforcing Lacoste’s identity while maintaining elegance.

2. Hybrid track tailoring

Perhaps the most interesting silhouettes were garments that blended tailoring with athletic functionality. Blazers cut in technical fabrics appeared alongside track-inspired trousers with refined pleats.

The result was a hybrid wardrobe: pieces that could move seamlessly from work to leisure.

3. Relaxed knitwear

Chunky sweaters and ribbed knits anchored the collection. Oversized yet controlled shapes added warmth while referencing classic sports club attire.

4. Modern polos

The iconic polo shirt appeared in several iterations—layered under coats, elongated into dresses, or reconstructed with modern materials.

These silhouettes demonstrate how Lacoste continues to translate heritage sport design into contemporary fashion language.

mat

One of the defining aspects of the FW26 collection is its material palette.

Kolotouros blended technical performance fabrics with traditional luxury textiles. The combination elevated familiar sports garments into high-fashion territory.

Key materials included:

• Technical wool blends

• Performance nylon

• Soft brushed cotton

• Textured knit fabrics

• Structured jersey

These materials allowed garments to maintain athletic comfort while gaining the sophistication expected in Paris runway fashion.

For example, a classic track jacket might appear in a refined wool blend, while a tennis skirt could be reimagined in structured winter fabric.

This approach reflects a growing trend across luxury fashion: the merging of sport technology and traditional tailoring.

refine

Unlike some runway collections that rely heavily on bold experimentation, Lacoste’s FW26 color palette was carefully controlled.

The palette emphasized tones associated with both sport and winter elegance:

• Forest green

• Deep navy

• Cream and off-white

• Charcoal grey

• Crocodile green accents

Occasional pops of brighter color appeared in knitwear or accessories, referencing the vibrant energy of athletic competition.

But overall, the collection favored timeless sophistication over trend-driven color experimentation.

subtle

Accessories played a supporting role in the collection, reinforcing the sport-luxury narrative.

Highlights included:

Footwear

Sneakers remained central to the Lacoste identity. Sleek court-inspired sneakers appeared alongside more fashion-forward silhouettes designed for urban wear.

Bags

Minimalist crossbody bags and duffel shapes referenced sports gear but were constructed with premium materials.

Headwear

Caps and winter hats appeared in understated designs, often featuring discreet crocodile branding.

Rather than overwhelming the runway, accessories complemented the clothing, emphasizing versatility.

sport

Another defining feature of the FW26 show was the blurred line between menswear and womenswear.

Lacoste has increasingly embraced gender-fluid styling, allowing garments to exist across traditional categories.

Oversized coats, relaxed knitwear, and tailored track pants were worn by models of different genders, reinforcing the idea that modern sportswear belongs to everyone.

This approach reflects a broader industry shift. Fashion today increasingly prioritizes versatility and individual expression over rigid gender divisions.

For Lacoste, whose garments have historically been worn by athletes of all genders, the philosophy feels natural.

evolve

Kolotouros’s tenure at Lacoste has been defined by a careful balancing act.

On one side stands the brand’s deep heritage: tennis, sport, and the iconic crocodile logo.

On the other side lies the challenge of modern luxury fashion—elevated design, runway credibility, and global cultural relevance.

Fall/Winter 2026 shows that the brand is gradually mastering this balance.

Rather than abandoning its roots, Lacoste has refined them.

The polo remains.
The track jacket remains.
The athletic silhouette remains.

But each element has been elevated through proportion, material, and styling.

culture

Another reason the Lacoste FW26 collection resonates is its cultural versatility.

The brand occupies a rare position where it is simultaneously associated with:

• European elegance

• Tennis heritage

• Hip-hop culture

• Streetwear aesthetics

Over the decades, Lacoste polos have appeared in everything from tennis tournaments to hip-hop videos.

Kolotouros understands this cultural range and subtly incorporates it into her runway collections.

The FW26 show, while refined, still carried an undercurrent of street style energy.

sum

The Lacoste Fall/Winter 2026 collection is not about spectacle.

It is about precision.

Kolotouros approached the season like an athlete preparing for competition—focused, disciplined, and confident in the fundamentals.

By refining classic sportswear shapes into sophisticated runway pieces, she demonstrated how Lacoste can continue evolving while remaining true to its origins.

In a fashion landscape often defined by extremes, the FW26 collection stands out for its clarity of purpose.

Sport becomes elegance.
Performance becomes haute.
And the crocodile continues to move forward—quietly, confidently—across the runway of Paris.

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