Authentic Polos

[Bradford]

I have no idea if this will be of interest to anyone, but I saw it on another forum and thought I would share. Apparently this site offers Lacoste polos for $39.99 and he's getting some Abercrombie polos soon. Authentic Polos They look legit to me, but I'm not really into Lacoste. Bradford

 

[JohnMS]

If only they still had the tennis tails...

 

[amirrorcrackd]

These shirts are technically "authentic," though not entirely. These are not the same shirts that you will find for sale in a Lacoste boutique. Lacoste outsources these polos (which are made in Peru), I assume for sale in said country. They are not meant to be sold in U.S.. The shirts found in a Lacoste boutique here in the states *should* be made in France. Also, I believe, but am not 100% sure, that the sizing is different on these shirts than on the made in France ones. Ask for measurements.

Dan

 

[drizzt3117]

Actually that isn't true, I bought some Lacoste shirts at the boutique in South Coast Plaza and they were made in peru. I believe some of their US distribution is sourced from Peru and some of it is sourced from France. There are some others that have purchased lacoste shirts in Canadian and northern US boutiques that have had tags that were made in Morocco.

 

[topcatny]

All of the Lacoste polos I have seen in the New York Metro area lately are made in Peru.

 

[amirrorcrackd]

That's horrible. Another one bites the dust I guess.

Dan

 

[drizzt3117]

I don't really have a problem with it. I have a France made Lacoste shirt and a Peru made one and I can tell no difference whatsoever.

 

[DSKent]

I don't really have a problem with it.  I have a France made Lacoste shirt and a Peru made one and I can tell no difference whatsoever.

I agree.  An interesting story: I bought a bunch of Lacoste polos off the Saks site a year or two ago.  They were all "Made in France," but I mistakenly ordered them all in the wrong size.  So I brought them to the Saks store to exchange them and I didn't notice until I got home that the ones from the store were all "Made in Peru."  I have some other shirts that are made in France, and there has been little difference between them quality-wise.  The only hang up, I suppose, is that I bought them all at the same price when the French-made ones were probably more expensive to produce.

Has anyone ordered from this site? I am interested to see if these shirts meet the high quality standards of other forum members.

 

[demeis]

All the lacoste we have in the store i work at are made in peru and designed in france.

 

[imageWIS]

Two points:

First, the primary difference between Lacoste polo's, which are made in Peru compared to those, which are made in France, is that the Lacoste logo is embroidered on the shirt in the French made polo's, whereas in the Peruvian counterparts the logo is a patch, which is sewn onto the shirt. Since, embroidering the logo onto the shirt is much more labor intensive and costly, the French made shirts are of better quality than those made in Peru for that reason. The quality of the fabric, the MOP buttons, and the quality of the stitching is the same on either polo, regardless which side of the Atlantic it was manufactured.

As well, the cut of the shirts tends to be the same or close enough to be distinguishable. Unfortunately, for my rational, for $70 a pop the logo should be embroidered and not simply a pre-fabricated, sewn-on patch. Thus, If you want a Lacoste with a embroidered logo, you have two choices: either purchase one manufactured in France or purchase one from the high-end Platinum Line, although these have a Platinum-colored logo instead of the typical green. Just to mention for comparison: RL Polo's are now made in Bolivia, and the quality of the cotton for the most part has increased, when compared to the previous offerings manufactured in different parts of Asia.

Secondly, Lacoste does in fact manufacture at least two different qualities for their regular line, depending where they are manufactured. For the sake of argument I will call the Lacoste's destined for the U.S. and Europe Tier 1, whereas the lesser quality, South American manufactured (Brazil, Argentina, etc...) I will call Tier 2. Thus, in the U.S. and Europe, stores, whether Lacoste factory stores, or other retailers that carry Lacoste, only Tier 1 products are available. But, in places like Argentina (where I noted this) they carry mostly Tier 2 items, manufactured by local companies for local consumption, but as well carry Tier 1 items for both consumption by well-to-do locals and tourists from abroad. The prices in all three continental locals express the difference in quality as well. In the U.S. and Europe the prices for a basic Lacoste polo shirt are set at about $70 (maybe with the Dollar / Euro exchange, the European prices fare a bit better these days). Whereas in Argentina for example, you have a basic Tier 2 Lacoste polo going for around 90 Pesos which is roughly the equivalent of $30, and a Tier 1 polo going for about 180 Pesos or about $60.

Jon.