Game, set and match for tennis-inspired Lacoste in NY

NEW YORK, USA - French clothing brand Lacoste brought winter tennis and a slice of Hollywood comedy to the New York runway on Saturday, combining sport and tailoring for fall/winter 2015.

Artistic director Felipe Oliveira Baptista, who loves mining the company's archives for inspiration, opted this season for tennis -- the sport of French champion and brand founder Rene Lacoste.

"I also wanted to give a very fun side to the collection, so there's a mix of styles, with tracksuit bottoms worn with a cashmere coat," he told AFP.

"It's street, bourgeoise and a little touch of 'The Royal Tenenbaums,'" he said of the Hollywood comedy starring Gene Hackman and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Saturday's runway show mixed "casually sophisticated sportswear" with tailoring inspired by the refinement of the 1930s with the colors of the 1970s, a look inspired by the past but made contemporary.

There were short skirts paired with long coats, knits that hugged the body and tracksuits in jersey, nylon and silk to create what the brand called "an urban versatile look."

"The Lacoste person is someone who is on the go but who is upbeat," Baptista told AFP.

"Freedom of movement, comfort, being yourself and also this idea that each look is also a character, a personality," he said.