The iconic label is turning 80, and marking the milestone with a celebration of Gallic glamour with a little help from friends. Gan Tian reports.

French label Lacoste's boutique on New York's Fifth Avenue has had a new window design since September. Each window has an independent image, representing a different decade's fashion and style.

In the window representing the 1940s, two mannequins wear all-white golf dresses. In the 1950s window, blue-striped blouses and red skirts are presented. In the 1980s window the style becomes colorful with loose pants and chic accessories.

The eight windows reflect the label's 80 years in business.

A month after the nostalgic window design was launched, Lacoste hosted an exclusive birthday party in Beijing, with more than 600 guests from the fashion industry attending the celebration at the Yan Club Arts Center. Along with champagne, music, DJ and party animals, the biggest feature of the celebration was the fabulous savoir-faire gifts from other French labels, including jeweler Boucheron, leather house Hermes, and cuisine master Fauchon.

Boucheron has made a gift with Lacoste's crocodile logo. The jeweler, famous for its animal-inspired creations, presented two exclusive brooches of the crocodile. Aglow with diamonds and emeralds, the crocodile joins Boucheron's famous menagerie.

Hermes has created a crocodile tennis bag to honor Lacoste. Fauchon, a French label known for its creative pastries, has created a series of eclairs for Lacoste. They are green, magenta and white, representing the brand's logo. The ingredients are actually creamy green tea, almond, vanilla, lemon and strawberries.

All the gifts are closely connected with the label Lacoste. Hermes' gift, a crocodile tennis bag, actually has a story related to tennis champion Rene Lacoste. In the 1920s, the sports star made a bet with his team captain, saying he would win a match he was about to play. He won, and his reward was a crocodile-skin suitcase.

Philippe Lacoste, grandson of the label's founder Rene Lacoste, attended the event. He says the gifts from French brands represent the typical Gallic lifestyle.

"They are more 'lifestyle brands' to represent the French way of life. For example, I remember clearly when I was very young, my grandmother would wear a brooch made by Boucheron," he says.

"My grandfather frequently traveled to the US to play tennis. During that time, he went there by boat, and it usually took five days. He packed his luggage in a special trunk made by Goyard. It can hold some goods specially for five-day use."

The Goyard he is referring to is a French luxury trunk maker. The label has created an exclusive travel bag, mixing its own and Lacoste's logo: the crocodile and a stylized chevron-patterned monogram.

Berta de Pablos-Barbier, senior executive vice-president of branding and communications at Lacoste, says the brand choose to mark its 80th birthday by celebrating its past.

"The reason we are collaborating with Maisons Francaises (French houses) is because they are all like Lacoste, representing French craftsmanship in different categories, " she says.

De Pablos-Barbier says the labels have to share the same values as Lacoste, which is all about French elegance and style.

"It's not only about being elegant and stylish in the way you dress, but also in behavior. It is also about the joy of life, the positive outlook into the world, and being authentic and genuine. These are not just things we have invented. They are categorized by Rene Lacoste," she says.

De Pablos-Barbier says these "gifts" from other French labels are not available in any boutique stores. Any consumer who is interested should refer to Lacoste, and the company will send a request to the label who created the product.

Contact the writer at gantian@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 11/25/2013 page22)