"Buying is more American than thinking, and I'm as American as they come."
— Andy Warhol
Trend-Spotting
Things in the world seem really sporty and leisurely as the first rounds of the French Open at Roland-Garros start this week. (Bummer about Andre!) So put on those tennis whites and get all Renee Lacoste out there. After all, the man was not only a great French tennis champion, but he is also credited with giving the world clothes with logos. That's right. In 1933, when his company introduced white-knit polo-style shirts with the crocodile embroidered on the left chest, it is believed to be the first time a logo was placed anywhere on the outside of the garment.
"Crocodile" was Lacoste's nickname. He earned it after he won a set of crocodile luggage on a bet over an important match early in his career. During his championship reign, which lasted from about 1925 to 1929, his on-court tennis attire featured a white jacket with an elaborate hand-painted crocodile on the left breast pocket.
Today leisurely-looking hipsters wear crocodile shirts just about everywhere. It easily transitions from work to bar to dinner to ultralounge without missing a step. The fit should be snug, not loose. And keep that collar down! This isn't 1982. Men's shirts retail for $85. Women's go for $72. Las Vegas touts two signature Lacoste stores: The Forum Shoppes at Caesars, 791-7616; Las Vegas Premium Outlets, 382-8369. The French Open started on Monday with championship rounds at Roland-Garros set for the first week of June.
The Review
Las Vegas Golf & Tennis is mostly about golf, but don't let all that greens gear get in the way. The tennis section is well-stocked and well-staffed. Conrad Corona, LVG&T's tennis expert for the last 11 years, makes it his business to make sure everyone is properly suited for a few hours on the court. Corona's strength is his ability to help select the right racket, and there are plenty to choose from (Head, Wilson, Prince). The clothes selection is heavy on Fila—the name brand made wildly popular by Bjorn Borg and Boris Becker in the 1970s and 1980s. (Remember those headbands and short-shorts?) And, yes, the store has great selection of shoes and other tennis accessories. Las Vegas Golf & Tennis at 4211 S. Paradise Road, 892-9999.
Splurge
If tennis really is your racket, you can build a court of your very own for somewhere around $75,000, according to Joe Pelan, the tennis court expert from Las Vegas Paving Corp. Las Vegas Paving is working with the city of Las Vegas to build the new 23-court tennis complex at Washington Buffalo Park set to open in February 2005. So Pelan knows these things. The money buys you a level court, steel posts to attach a net to (nets can run anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to thousands), a standard tennis court paint job and a fence. Of course, that $75,000 number can increase significantly depending upon the aesthetic and whether you want to light it at night. But once the tough decisions have been made and the hard labor is finished, maintenance is a breeze. "Every once in a while you just hose it off and call it a day," Pelan says.
Anne Kellog is a local writer and longtime Las Vegan.