I have a bias towards LACOSTE clothing gear.
For the longest time, I have been a fan of the French clothing company which was originally founded back in 1933.
Best known as the company that was created by tennis player Jean Rene Lacoste a.k.a. “the Crocodile” because of his tenacity on the tennis court, Lacoste won seven Grand Slam single titles and was the #1 tennis player in the world back in 1926-1927.
In 1933, Jean Rene Lacoste would become the founder of La Societe Chemise Lacoste with Andre Gillier and would produce tennis shirts with a crocodile on the chest.
A brand that was influential with the upper class, Lacoste would reach enormous popularity in the 1970’s and became the “preppy” wardrobe of the ’80s in America, especially when it was partnered with Izod and clothing was known as Izod Lacoste (a union that began in the 1950’s and end in 1993).
The company would receive a boost of synergy thanks to French designer Christophe Lemaire and also gain visibility as athletes around the world would become the face of Lacoste.
While the company is now owned by Swiss company, Maus Freres, the LACOSTE brand continues to be strong.
And as for the original connection with sports, LACOSTE SPORT continues with various polos (NOTE: If you are new to LACOSTE, please know there are different types of LACOSTE polos and the signature style is The Pique, which you can see with the actual threading on the shirt hence they are more expensive and other versions, you will find sold cheaper at other stores) and also their shoes.
And one of those shoes that I want to discuss is the LACOSTE SPORT Protected Sneaker crafted in high quality leather.
I have to admit…I broke a major rule by getting these shoes…and that rule was buying a velcro shoe. I never buy shoes with velcro…yet, I made the exception for this one shoe because it looks to cool with the LACOSTE pique fabric on the ends. The white strap with the LACOSTE name on the rear.
The shoes are quite thin on the sole, so I find it comparable to my Onitsuka Tiger sneakers. The bottom sole is shiny in the middle, with the traction on the heel and toe areas.
I do like the touch of blue towards the front and the LACOSTE name on the top.
The shoes are made in Thailand and padding features Ortholite for cushioning, odor and fungus inhibiting and air flow for a cool food and wicks away moisture. The shoes are non-washable.
The LACOSTE SPORT Protected Sneaker is also featured in more pricier black Lux version but instead of cloth towards the top end of the shoe, they are perforated leather.
While the shoe is very cool and does feel comfortable, there is one problem and that’s the velcro portion. No feet inside, the strap fits over the entire velcro, with a foot inside and only part of the strap and what little velcro will be attached to the top of the velcro portion on the side. And because of that, this is not a shoe you want to engage in any sports or action, considering it’s a LACOSTE SPORT shoe because you don’t want that top strap hanging out. So, for those who have wider or bigger feet (especially towards the top), these shoes may not be for you.
Unfortunately, I should have stayed with my original feeling about velcro shoes….these shoes really looked so cool, looked as if I could wear them with LACOSTE pride, but unfortunately, while I was able to fit my foot inside, the strap doesn’t stay on with my foot inside and that’s a major problem.
Overall, the LACOSTE SPORT Protected Sneaker looks good, feels good but unfortunately, with this shoe utilizing a velcro strap, that strap is not going to hold well on my foot and so, the fit doesn’t work with me. Once again, skinner feet would do well for this shoe, but if you have wide feet or have more height on the top of your foot, this shoe may not be for you.
