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鳄鱼时尚:马球衫
Lacoste Fashion: Polo Shirt

[ 2011-07-05 17:58]     字号 [] [] []  
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在时尚男人的衣橱里,都少不了一件鳄鱼品牌的服装。这个品牌虽然售价不菲,却相当抢手,行销八十多个国家,受到无数人的青睐。你也许不知道,它的创始人竟是一位世界网球名将!而那头鳄鱼的背后,更藏着一个有趣的故事。

鳄鱼时尚:马球衫

砚青 选 晓凯 译

Despite their name, Lacoste polo shirts are actually direct descendants of the original cotton “tennis whites” worn in the late nineteen century. The “tennis whites” shirt style was defined by a long-sleeved buttoned-up front, normally worn with the narrow sleeves rolled up. Although this seems like a very limiting shirt choice for athletes by today’s standards, tennis whites were considered very informal and quite “sporty” in their day.

But French tennis champion René Lacoste thought he could improve upon the old button-up style. He had long felt that the long-sleeve tennis whites of the day were uncomfortable and limited movement on the court. He began experimenting with a new short-sleeved shirt. His first shirt was made from a light-knitted fabric called “jersey petit pique” which allowed for ventilation. The shirt was white and short-sleeved. The shirt could be opened for maximum ventilation by adjusting the two-button placket and the collar could be worn up-turned to block the sun from his neck.

Over the next few years, other members of the French tennis team began to wear Lacoste-style shirts and soon players from other countries were requesting his tennis shirts for themselves.

About the Logo

The roots of the world-recognized Lacoste logo extend back to the game of professional level tennis in the 1920’s. René Lacoste was a world-class tennis player from France. Lacoste acquired the nickname “Alligator” from the American sports press following a bet he made while in America to play in the 1927 Davis Cup. While in Boston, Lacoste had seen a piece of luggage made from alligator hide that he liked very much. The captain of the French team offered to buy the case for him on condition that he won his match in the upcoming competition. When the press heard of the bet, they thought that the alligator skin was a good metaphor for Lacoste’s tenacious playing style and his ability to keep a hold on and control his opponent’s attempts to change up the tempo of the matches. From then on, sports journalists referred to Lacoste as “the Alligator”.

The nickname stuck with him after returning home to France but with no cognate in his native language, the French press changed his nickname to le crocodile. Soon after, his friend, Robert George, drew an alligator that Lacoste had embroidered upon the blazers he wore when attending tennis events.

The Beginning of Lacoste Fashions

René Lacoste retired from professional tennis in 1929 but at the time he did not know that he would soon be embarking on a new career in the fashion industry. After the success of his tennis shirt among tennis players throughout Europe, polo players began to request the shirt. They, too, were tired of wearing stiff, long-sleeved shirts and were attracted by the ability of the collar to block the sun from their necks. The spreading popularity of the tennis shirt prompted Lacoste to team up with the owner and president of the largest French knitwear manufacturing firm at the time, Andre Gillier, in 1933. The company was called La Societe Chemise Lacoste and it began to produce the Lacoste white tennis shirt with the logo embroidered on the chest.

In 1951, the company expanded the popularity of the shirt by introducing colored shirts and in the 1960’s the Lacoste fashion line was expanded into other areas such as shoes, hats, and sweaters. Today, you are just as likely to find a Lacoste Polo shirt on the golf course as on the tennis court or polo field. In fact, the familiar little crocodile has become a modern wardrobe staple for all men, not just athletes. Its popularity remains as strong as ever among the general public.

虽然名为马球衫,鳄鱼品牌的马球衫却是由19世纪末的纯棉“白色网球衫”直接演变而来的。“白色网球衫”是一款长袖、前面系扣、穿着时窄袖子常卷起来的运动衫。就今天的标准来看,它对运动员是一种局限,然而在当时,这种衬衫被视为非常休闲并且很“运动”的服装。

但是,法国网球冠军勒内•拉科斯特却认为他可以对这种传统的系扣衬衫进行改进。他早就觉得这种白色长袖网球衫穿着很不舒服,并且限制了运动员在场上的行动。于是,他开始着手设计一款新的短袖运动衫。他做的第一件运动衫用的是一种叫做jersey petit pique的轻盈织料,透气性好。这种运动衫为白色短袖。它还可以通过调节两个扣的领叉来充分透气,衣领还可以翻起来穿,免得脖子被阳光暴晒。

在接下来的几年里,法国网球队的其他队员开始穿拉科斯特设计的这款运动衫,很快其他国家的运动员也开始向他订制这种网球衫。

关于品牌标识

鳄鱼品牌的标识世界闻名,它的起源要追溯到20世纪20年代的职业级网球赛。当时,勒内•拉科斯特是法国的一位世界级网球运动员。1927年,拉科斯特在美国参加戴维斯杯,他打了一个赌,之后美国的体育媒体便开始用“美洲鳄”来称呼他。当时,拉科斯特在波士顿看到一个鳄鱼皮的手提箱,非常喜欢。法国队的队长说,如果他能在接下来的比赛中获胜,就把皮箱买下来送给他。媒体听说这个赌注后,认为“鳄鱼皮”是一个很好的比喻,用来诠释拉科斯特在赛场上坚韧的打法,以及他把握和控制对手的进攻、改变比赛节奏的能力。从那时起,体育记者便开始称拉科斯特为“美洲鳄”。

这个外号一直跟他回到法国,但是因为法语中没有同源词,法国媒体便把他的外号改称为“鳄鱼先生”。不久后,他的朋友罗伯特•乔治画了一条鳄鱼,拉科斯特便把它绣在了自己参加网球比赛时穿的外套上。

鳄鱼时尚的开端

1929年,勒内•拉科斯特结束了职业网球生涯,当时,他还不知道自己很快会在时尚界大展拳脚。在他的网球衫受到欧洲各国网球运动员的欢迎后,马球运动员们也开始向他订制这种运动衫。他们也厌倦了拘谨的长袖衫,喜欢上这种领子可以翻上来防止阳光晒伤脖子的新式运动衫。这种网球衫的大受欢迎,促使拉科斯特在1933年与当时法国最大的针织品公司的老板安德烈•吉利耶合作,成立了名为“拉科斯特运动衫协会”的新公司,开始生产胸前绣有鳄鱼标识的拉科斯特白色网球衫。

1951年,公司开始生产带颜色的运动衫,扩大了其受欢迎程度。20世纪60年代,拉科斯特服装生产线扩展到其他领域,如鞋帽和毛衣等等。今天,你在高尔夫球场、网球场,还有马球场上,都可以看到鳄鱼品牌的马球衫。实际上,这个熟悉的小鳄鱼已经成为现代男性衣橱里的主要品牌,不再局限于运动员了。它依然和以往一样受到普通大众的强烈喜爱。

(来源:英语学习杂志)

Vocabulary:

placket (衣服上方便穿脱的)叉口

cognate 同源词

staple 主要部分,重要内容

 
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