In the mid-to-late 80s, neon and hair metal were all the rage… spandex, bright colors, and things so gaudy and loud that our retinas are still recovering. But the early 80s? Well… those were the days of preppy happiness. And leading the charge was the famed Izod alligator shirt. (With popped collar, of course.)
First introduced by tennis ace Rene Lacoste in the 30s, the shirt came in any color you wanted, as long as it was white. Then in the 50s we started getting colors. And then in the 80s, the famed Izod alligator shirt was front and center in the preppy world–– starting in 1980 with the publication of The Official Preppy Handbook. Of course, Lacoste was just looking to provide a comfortable tennis shirt for the people… never guessing his little alligator logo would become as synonymous with the 80s as the Rubik’s Cube.
And why the alligator, you ask? Well, Lacoste was known in the tennis world as ‘the crocodile’ because of his fierce on-court tenaci––– wait a sec. The Crocodile? So wait… that green icon of preppiness is actually a crocodile? And it’s Lacoste that came up with it? Not Izod? (…who just happened to be partnered with Lacoste at the time)? Oh geez–– this changes everything! We (oops) ♥ Lacoste Crocodile Shirts. H/T >
