Lacoste Debuts La Machine and Fragrance Launch

The little crocodile invaded Grand Central Station.  I'm not talking about an urban legend about Manhattan sewers.  Iconic brand Lacoste threw a fun soiree to celebrate their fragrances, Blanc, Vert and Bleu, as well as introduce their social media installation, La Machine.

The fragrances were inspired by the brand's signature colors.  Co-ordinating cocktails were created to fete the scents.  Lacoste's marketing director spoke about the project and actor Max Minghella declared his (personally purchased) love of the brand.  Fans and dancers performed for the crowd in an enthusiastic dance before the unveiling of the "Machine".

While the installation was an impressive piece of art, I was still left in the dark on how the piece was interactive.  Names were projected onto the piece from their Facebook fans, and it claimed to turn a shirt into perfume.  I did see a hydraulic shelf bring a shirt up and down, while another shelf had a fragrance product on it, but didn't move.

The surprise guests of the night were Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five in great form.  It was a fun musical tribute to the time when Lacoste was in it's glory in the 1980's before it's resurgence again in recent years.

See the installation below:

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Lacoste Malandrino Collection Spring 2011

Sweet sweet crocodile love was made Tuesday in the penthouse of the Cooper Square Hotel.  The icy backdrop of the East Village surrounded style vignettes on all sides for the press preview of Lacoste and Catherine Malandrino’s collaboration.

The capsule collection was Lacoste’s big women’s sportswear push into a more fashion forward direction.  It encompassed pieces with Lacoste’s signature pique knit and active wear influence.  However, Malandrino’s French chic was unmistakable in the feminine looks.  For this limited edition collection, the logo was updated with two kissing crocodiles; the second being a (presumably) Malandrino chartreuse green.

There was a small group with delicate crochet knits.  They were interpreted in a tennis dress or sweeping fishtail skirt.  Pique knit was use in dresses that were draped and shirred to accentuate the female curves.  Tie-dyed patterns on a few pieces reflected some of the fabric prints one would expect to see in Catherine Malandrino’s signature collection.  The "Harlem" pant was an updated take on the Harem pant-meets-MC Hammer look that was modern and feminine.   . 

How did this coupling come about?  There was some debate about that, as none of the representative seemed to know the origin story.  What was known was that Ms. Malandrino’s husband was a big fan of the Lacoste brand, and there seemed to be a kinship between French fashion creatives.  The designer has had some interesting collaborations in the past, including one with Mary J. Blige to benefit the FFAWN organization.

The Lacoste Malandrino collection will be available for purchase this Spring.

Photos by Mariana Leung

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