It's not really news, but it's definitely a big deal – using 25,000 square meters of silver-blue recyclable polypropylene fabric and 3,000 meters of the same red rope fabric, plus 1,200 workers working hard for a few days, the Arc de Triomphe was wrapped up for 16 days and restored to its original state on October 3.
The work that existed as the last wishes of the late artists Christo Vladimirov Javacheff and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon was called The Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped In.
It's a timely reminder that art is still happening and glowing in the city. Paris embraced an otherwise unrealistic "fantasy", and during the time the Arc de Triomphe was wrapped up, it was hard to find anything more romantic than that.
A little further on, eight minutes in Paris at the Tokyo Olympics, when Thomas Pesquet picks up the saxophone and blows the last few notes of the Marseillaise in the background of the universe, you seem to hear the ultimate romance of the French.
You may continue to be blown away by this scene, perhaps ignoring the Decision of the Parisians: they will host the 2024 Paris Olympics at existing tourist attractions, which greatly increases the ornamental and local nature. For example, the Seine will host open water swimming and triathlon competitions; the Place des Invalides in Paris will host archery competitions; the Grand Palais de Paris will host fencing and taekwondo competitions; three-person basketball, breakdancing, freestyle BMX and skateboarding competitions will be held in the Place de la Concorde; the Champs Elysées will be used as a cycling track where riders will ride through the Arc de Triomphe; and the venues for equestrian and modern pentathlons will be located at the Palace of Versailles...
It is conceivable that when the competition is over, once the "limited-time work" of the Olympic Games is gone, Paris will return to its original state, and the life of Parisians will be the same as before.
Jenna Claude herself, who "wrapped the Arc de Triomphe", had said that the fact that the artwork would not remain created an urgency to see it. If someone says, "Oh, look to the right, there's a rainbow there," you'll never answer "I'll see it tomorrow."
Packaging the Reichstag – The Berlin Plan
Parisians know it all: you think Paris will live forever, but Paris will never stop moving.
When we breathe a sigh of relief from the excitement of eight minutes in Paris, when we get artistic inspiration from the wrapped Arc de Triomphe in Paris, we will find that paris that you think you are too familiar to be familiar with anymore, is back in our vision in such a self-renewing way.
Because of the Olympics, the upcoming changes remind us that people almost forget that Paris is not only elegant, paris is still sporty.
However, is it contradictory to find a "sporty" attribute in Paris in the qualities of romance and elegance?
I don't think so. The romance of Paris itself stems from contradictions: the artist-gathered Ritz's basement holds Hemingway's manuscripts unknown; in the middle of Place Vendôme, surrounded by boutiques, stands a monument made of 1,200 cannons melted; the Eiffel Tower, not to mention that it was controversial from its inception and is now one of the city's most important symbols; even the triumphal arch, a building with a certain political significance built to commemorate Napoleon's defeat of the Russian-Austrian army, has been "art" Such a humanistic vocabulary coverage – how can you use a positive or negative word to summarize this city that has a history of more than 2,000 years and covers an area of 105.4 square kilometers?
Cristo Manuscript
Parisians don't love things that are natural. For example, at the French Open, they called one of the four Grand Slam venues Roland Garros, doesn't that sound romantic? But in reality, it's the name of a French air hero.
Roland Garros
Historic Roland Garros has witnessed many successful players, but did you know what? When Daniel Medvedev won a Grand Slam in August 2021, he became the youngest player in tennis history to win a Grand Slam.
At that moment we were able to confirm that Paris still belonged to young people.
Unlike long-established tennis players, Daniel Medvedev chose to wear the sweatshirt with a crocodile printed on it.
Daniel Medvedev
When I was a child, I listened to Teacher Guo say crosstalk, said that after I had money, I bought a "crocodile", but I didn't understand it, I bought a fake, and I didn't know whether the crocodile's head was left or right.
So in my old impression, the crocodile became a symbol of some kind of status, and you know that the impression of childhood is difficult to break. Now we know better that the crocodile we were talking about at that time was Lacoste; Teacher Guo at that time was just an ordinary cross-talk actor; at that time, the impression of Lacoste was only a polo shirt.
Of course, now we know that Mr. Guo is a cross-talk actor but not ordinary; we now also know that Lacoste has Polo but not polo.
In fact, like Paris, it has been changing, from 100 years ago to the New World.
Now it's just like what we call Paris, especially after designer Louise Trotter took over in 2018, it is also full of romantic "contradictions".
Only colorful polo shirts? It's time to see something new.
Sporty Green
Green
PANTONE: PMS 567 C (last matched)
Hexadecimal color: #004526
RGB（0, 69, 38）
CMYK（90 43, 93, 51）
In 1933, a tennis player wore a completely different dress, made of Petit Piqué (pearl cotton), a short-sleeved shirt with a small lapel, and now we all know what it is, we call it a polo shirt.
But 80 years ago, it was a subversive creation, because people played tennis and generally wore long-sleeved shirts and tennis sweaters, which was a fashion trend started by the male dress icon of the time, the Prince of Wales, similar to this.
That "strange" tennis player named René Lacoste broke with this trend led by "royalty". Because of his tenacity on the court and a bet with his teammates about crocodile suitcases (there was no concept of animal protection laws at that time), the American media called him a "crocodile". The nickname was quickly adopted by the entire tennis world.
René himself felt good, saying: "It shows my tenacity on the tennis court and never giving up on my prey." So he asked his friend and stylist, Robert George, to sew a crocodile on the white suit jacket he wore when he arrived at the stadium.
Slowly, he began to wear style and lifestyle called "athleisure", founded the Lacoste brand, and a legend began.
So from the very beginning, movement is written in the brand's DNA. And the lacoste movement, in my heart, should be represented by Lacoste's most classic green.
And this is also reflected in the show.
Lacoste 2021 F/W
Let's start with the latest fall/winter crocodile, Lacoste 2021 F/W. Urban sport is a timeless theme, and this Look is paired with a white-green plaid sports jacket on the top with an extra-long polka dot shirt and classic Lacoste green sweatpants on the bottom. There is no doubt that his feeling is sporty, but it also feels like he is deliberately blurring the boundaries between the city and sports - such as the extra-long straps of pants and the zipper of the trouser cuffs, you can freely choose how to wear them.
Lacoste 2020 F/W
As you can see, Polo is a Lacoste piece that almost every season will not be absent, but it is different from the Polo we remember.
First of all, the new designer Louise Trotter in 2018 brings richer and more advanced colors to this classic piece, with classic greens and warmer shades that are vibrant.
Lacoste 2020 S/S
Lacoste 2019 F/W
Secondly, under the influence of the wave of non-sexism, the silhouette is very good and suitable for Lacoste's expression, this cut can make anyone wear more loosely, so as to show themselves more calmly. As you can see in the details, the knit from the tennis sweater is also integrated into the polo neckline detail.
In fact, although René Lacoste allowed athletes to complete the evolution from v-neck tennis sweaters to lighter and more comfortable Polo, Lacoste did not give up knitting, but made many changes on the basis of tradition, so that people know that it comes from the tennis court but not only belongs to the tennis court, it should also belong to the urban mountains and young people.
Lacoste 2020 F/W Look
This was especially evident in the 2020 F/W season inspired by founder's wife, Simone de la Chaume. As Trotter explains backstage, she wants to pass on something more optimistic on the runway, not just black.
She says people may not really need a lot of clothes, but if they do, it's better to have something they really love. She used lighter cuts and softer colors in 2020 F/W, which gave "must have" some pretty good options.
Also want to say a little Easter egg. In many collocations, Lacoste uses green stockings as a finishing touch. Paired with candy-colored pajama pants, it is not pure sports, but creates a lazy urban line, although it does not save you from the tight life, but at least it can give some comfort in the visual and wearing experience.
Silhouette red
Red
PANTONE: PMS 185 C (most recently matched)
Hexadecimal color: #DB0026
RGB（219, 0, 38）
CMYK（8, 100, 97, 1）
The silhouette is the best change Louise Trotter has brought to Lacoste – the silhouette is supposed to be the opposite of movement, showing contrast, but the British designer has made a silhouette that incorporates Lacoste style. The silhouette is supposed to be diametrically opposed to the movement, showing contrast, so it should be represented with a color that is diametrically opposed to green. red? I think it couldn't be more appropriate. At the same time, red is related to rewards and can be used to represent the "best change" in my mind.
2021 F/W still has its representatives, and Trotter has brought a lot of surprises. Vintage school uniforms, silhouette down jackets, weird trench coats, doesn't that look like Lacoste? "I wanted to capture an active lifestyle that blurs the gap between family life, work and play," she says. "It's a good explanation why Trotter made these clothes, it's not just limited to one scene.
And the silhouette is not simply magnified, the huge silhouette of the top and relatively neat pants are a good example. In the details, such as the huge blue zip knot of the jacket, you see, they still haven't lowered their requirements.
And fashion lovers in Paris have begun to use it to create interesting shapes.
Hypebeast
If you want to see this silhouette fit into the brand's original appearance, you should see Trotter's debut at Lacoste, which is 2019 F/W. At that time, Trotter may not have been restrained by the newcomer, and perhaps it may seem even more surprising.
Lacoste 2019 F/W Look
It was as if she had placed the classic Polo in front of a bumpy mirror and turned it into a thick oversized blouse or knitted top, sleeves up to the elbows, hem hanging low over her pants, or stretched it to the proportions of a robe, so that the pleated skirt almost swept across the ground.
In this season she also created a crocodile logo trail that lasted into later seasons.
Trotter has also explained the inspiration for this season backstage, saying: "What really affected me from the beginning was that René was a champion, but he didn't bring him the greatest joy. He wants to win gracefully in the right way. He incorporates his own values into the sport: joy, hard work, tenacity. I want it to reflect what people really need today, to want it to go beyond movement. We've been on the road, we've been on the move. ”
Perhaps in the end, clothing is only the appearance, and the culture and content that brands and designers want to convey is the essence.
That's freedom
white
PANTONE: 000C
Hexadecimal color: #FFFFFF
RGB（255, 255, 255）
CMYK（0, 0, 0, 0）
White doesn't mean nothingness, although it looks like it does on a phone screen.
Ever since Newton discovered the dispersion of the prism on sunlight, we know that white represents the fusion of seven colors, or can be understood as the color of sunlight, and that fusion is the basis of all modern culture.
It is the freedom of all kinds of color conflicts to blend together.
You'll always see some breakthroughs in Louise Trotter's design. If you want to see fusion products, the latest may be a better choice.
On October 20, 2021, Lacoste turned the Shanghai Ship Museum into a green tennis court and held a big show called "LACOSTE ARena".
Before entering the "Tennis Center" (LACOSTE ARena), spectators will be enveloped by the tennis atmosphere. In addition to the limited-time fashion store, you can also enjoy food and coffee, socialize in the square, go to the "catch the tennis" machine to play, and each setting will evoke the memory of every time you go to watch a tennis game live.
The show's clearest features are the new crocodile claw element and the burning tennis ball, a type of pop art-style graffiti product. Although we didn't explicitly communicate this with the designer, I always felt a hint of pop artist Roy Lichtenstein's sense of vision.
Roy Lichtenstein《Whaam！》 1963
Roy Lichtenstein is a controversial artist who was called " America 's Worst Artist' " . But in his classic works are also almost all tens of millions of dollars, he is also similar to Andy Warhol, one of the most important artists in the United States. He once said:
I take a cliché and try to organize its
For something that everyone knows, I reorganize its form
forms to make it monumental.
Make it immortal
The difference is often not great, but it is crucial.
The difference between the two may not be significant, but it is extremely important.
Newsweek Magazine - April 25, 1966 - Pop Art Issue featuring cover art by renowned American Pop Artist, Roy Lichtenstein
In fact, this is essentially a kind of contradiction and wonderful discord. Roy became famous because he modified the masterpiece in his own way, for example, he would modify the war scene to make it perhaps less brutal, but full of his own simple and fashionable style.
And this season's Lacoste is also creating some kind of contradiction and disharmony (note that disharmony is not bad), and you will understand by looking at the above three sets of Total Look.
Oversized knitted sweater with skinny jogging bottoms and earthy silhouette trench coat with loose sweatpants. In the traditional vision, a silhouette trench coat with trousers and leather shoes is more unified, but for young people, with sweatpants, slippers and contrast socks is more interesting, if it is just a simple trench coat trousers leather shoes, it can only be described as boring. I think Lacoste's designer Louise Trotter knows exactly what young people and the brand itself want, and meets the needs of both.
And such a combination is not uncommon in this show.
The left naturally attracts young people, and deviance is the key word in it.
Looking at the Sex Pistol and Vivienne Wetswood Sex Shop from decades ago, the difference from the cool of the previous generation is the fun of young people, which is also our direct feeling of the Lacoste Shanghai runway.
Time has been moving forward, fashion trends have been changing, but young people are still young people, the spiritual core of their pursuit has not changed, if a brand only knows how to pile up colors and use strange color lights to take weird photos, and do not understand this, it is difficult for people, especially young people, to really fall in love.
Do you know anything different about this crocodile?
And we've finally figured it out now – the crocodile's head is facing right, but it's facing both the future and the present. We can see that Lacoste is not the brand that we think of that will only do colorful Polo, although it is their ace product, and it may be the first impression of it by more people.
Lacoste by Solar Broccoli
But if you're interested, you can get away from the simple first impression and try to pay more attention to and understand a thing, just like their runway style and costumes, more all-encompassing and bizarre ideas. And they care what people who like brands think, rather than blindly living in their own world and focusing on "art", which makes people feel more respected.
At the same time, it is not an easy task to inherit and develop a brand that is close to a hundred years old. It is better to continue to see where this "crocodile" with a tough personality as the bone and wearing a young coat will go. ☁️
Execution: y, dark clouds Editor: dark clouds
Design: Andy