Collection: Lacoste

Shop Lacoste in Ireland at Patrick Bourke Menswear — polo shirts, t-shirts, tracksuits, knitwear and footwear. In store on High Street in Ennis and delivered free across Ireland on orders over €89.

Lacoste sizing: the numbers explained

Start here, because it catches everyone out. Lacoste does not use S, M and L on most of its clothing. It uses French numeric sizing, and the numbers look like nothing else in the shop.

2 = XS  ·  3 = S  ·  4 = M  ·  5 = L  ·  6 = XL  ·  7 = XXL  ·  8 = 3XL

The classic polo is cut with a little room through the body but a shorter sleeve than most. If you are between sizes, take the larger one — the cotton has almost no stretch.

Why the polo is the way it is

René Lacoste was a French tennis player, and he designed the shirt in 1933 to solve a problem: the long-sleeved woven shirts players wore at the time were hot and restrictive. He replaced them with a short-sleeved knit in petit piqué — a lightly textured cotton weave that breathes far better than a flat jersey and holds its shape instead of clinging.

That piqué is still what you are paying for. It is why a Lacoste polo looks structured after fifty washes while a cheaper polo goes limp, and why the collar stands up rather than curling.

The crocodile came from his nickname on the tennis circuit. It was one of the first visible logos on a garment, which is why it is on the outside rather than the inside.

Looking after it

Wash cool and inside out. The piqué will lose its texture in a hot wash and the collar will never recover. Do not tumble dry the polos — dry them flat or on a hanger and the shape holds for years.

Beyond the polo

The t-shirts and knitwear are cut on the same principles, and the tracksuits and footwear carry the same finish. A Lacoste polo works under a sports jacket or an overshirt, with chinos or dark jeans.

Browse the full range online, or call in to Ennis and try the sizing on properly — the numbers are much easier in person. Click and collect available on everything.