Lacoste creative director Felipe Oliveira Baptista has never been shy about his admiration for the French brand’s history of innovation (a few seasons ago, he even incorporated a “Rene did it first,” text graphic). The Portuguese designer’s previous trips to the archive have resurrected the casual refinement of the 30s as well as typographic treatments straight outta the 70s. Today’s fall/winter 16 collection, presented at Spring Studios, was all about 60s ski slope style.
“I started by looking at late-60s ski stuff that Lacoste did for the French Olympic team and it got me thinking of a retro futuristic ski vibe,” Baptista said backstage. The designer injected those streamlined silhouettes with a bit more volume and drama by exploring era films, from James Bond to Belle de Jour. Roger Moore’s almost astronaut-like après-ski style in The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only inspired velvet leggings and floor-length tracksuits, while Luis Buñuel’s 67 classic yielded structured but sexy PVC outerwear. “I wanted it to feel very wardrobe-y and put together — quite free but affirmative at the same time,” Baptista added. “I like the idea of mixing the very plastic with the very natural, the posh with the rough, this kind of high-end and low-key dialogue.”
Often, that dialogue manifests most playfully in Baptista’s use of graphics, and this season was no exception. The designer treated his aerodynamic futurism to a decidedly less sporty twist on the theme: characters culled from 80s skiing video games. Immediately, the pixelated pine trees and abominable snowmen recalled memories of wasted hours trying to beat SkiFree: a stark, simple, strangely addicting Microsoft computer game. “We looked at game graphics like that and thought it would be cute to do some embroidery,” Baptista said. Loose, long jersey and knit dresses in solid colors — like the ones modeled by Lineisy Montero and Vanessa Moody — proved the perfect canvases for these retro touches.
Over the course of his six year tenure at the brand, Baptista put a special focus on functionality and versatility. Much like mountain gear, his fall/winter 16 designs were replete with pockets, zippers, and dual-purpose detailing. Long, luxe quilted overcoats easily convert to shorter jackets, fur coats reverse, and oversized knit collars feature built in headbands. “I like this idea of things that can adapt to your life and to your situation, so there’s always an element of modularity throughout the collections,” Baptista said.
Credits
Text Emily Manning
Photography Jason Lloyd Evans