By Jessica Ye (Jessica Yap)
Rain rarely gets remembered. Winning matches does. Championship trophies do. History books certainly do.
Yet Lacoste’s Fall/Winter 2026 collection looks back at one of the few moments when nobody could play at all.
A sudden downpour interrupted René Lacoste’s Davis Cup match in Deauville in 1923, leaving spectators sheltering beneath umbrellas while newspapers were scattered across the flooded grass in a desperate attempt to dry the court. The match resumed the following day, and Lacoste went on to win. Nearly a century later, it is the pause rather than the victory that shapes the collection.
Creative Director Pelagia Kolotouros doesn’t recreate the match itself. Instead, she shifts the focus to everything surrounding it. The waiting. The uncertainty. The coats thrown over shoulders as the rain settled in. It is a perspective that feels refreshingly unexpected for a brand whose identity has long been rooted in sport.
That story unfolds through outerwear designed for days when the weather refuses to cooperate. Trench coats anchor the collection, ponchos borrow the familiar proportions of the polo shirt, while bonded technical wool, transparent nylon and reflective finishes bring practicality without sacrificing elegance. Oversized padded jackets sit comfortably alongside velvet separates and softly tailored René blazers, proving that performance and refinement have never been mutually exclusive.
The crocodile is there too, although never demanding attention. Embroidered details and archival-inspired badges are worked subtly throughout the collection, rewarding those willing to take a second look.
One of the strongest chapters comes through Lacoste’s collaboration with Mackintosh, the Scottish outerwear specialist whose expertise in waterproof craftsmanship stretches back more than two centuries. Rather than feeling like a collaboration designed simply to merge two recognisable names, the partnership feels entirely at home within the collection’s narrative. Waterproof tracksuits, poncho polos, pleated trench skirts and hybrid shirt-jackets blend Mackintosh’s technical heritage with Lacoste’s sporting DNA in a way that feels effortless rather than forced.
The accessories carry the same spirit.
The Lenglen bag returns with updated proportions and a silicone grip handle, while a racquet cover and tennis ball clutch are reimagined in Mackintosh’s technical fabrics. Weathered trophy pins, Grand Slam T-shirts and a digital watch with a stretch bracelet round out the collection, offering subtle nods to the rituals and memories that surround the sport instead of simply celebrating the game itself.
Even the colours tell their own story.
Cool greys, dark metallic shades and inky heathers capture skies heavy with rain before Agave Green recalls freshly soaked grass and Rusty Red pays tribute to the clay courts of Roland-Garros moments before another storm rolls in. Together, they recreate the shifting atmosphere of a day spent watching the weather as much as the match.
Fashion often celebrates the winning shot.
Lacoste celebrates everything that happens before it.
That is what makes this collection linger. Instead of turning another sporting victory into a wardrobe, it finds inspiration in an interruption. A rain delay that lasted barely two days has become a reminder that sometimes the moments we never expect to remember end up leaving the deepest impression.
