What Is Sizing Like at Lacoste menswear?

Lacoste cuts lean. It's a French brand and it fits like one — trimmer through the chest and waist than most British or American equivalents, with a slightly higher armhole that keeps the silhouette neat. That's a feature, not a fault, but it catches people out.

The famous Lacoste number system

Lacoste, being gloriously French about it, has historically labelled menswear with numbers rather than the S/M/L we're used to on the high street. Some pieces now carry both, but if you only see a digit, here's your translation:

2 = XS (roughly a 34" chest)
3 = S (36–38")
4 = M (38–40")
5 = L (40–42")
6 = XL (42–44")
7 = XXL (44–46")
8 = 3XL and so on up the scale

The quickest mental shortcut: add one to your usual letter size. If you're a Medium, you're a Lacoste 4. Simple — once someone tells you, which nobody ever does.The L.12.12 polo (the classic piqué)

The original Classic Fit is fitted but not skin-tight — it's meant to sit close without clinging.
Sleeves finish mid-bicep and are cut narrow. If you've got gym arms, this is the first place you'll feel the squeeze.
Body length is on the shorter side, designed to be worn untucked over chinos.
My rule: if you're between sizes or carry weight around the middle, take the larger number. A polo that pulls across the buttons is the fastest way to look a size too small.

Shirts and overshirts

Lacoste's woven shirts follow the same European logic — tapered waist, slimmer sleeve. The Slim Fit shirts are genuinely slim, so unless you're built like a marathon runner, the Regular Fit is the safer everyday choice.

Knitwear

The fine-gauge jumpers and zip-throughs are some of the best-value pieces in the range, but they're cut close and the cotton blends have very little give. Size up if you like to layer a tee underneath.

Trousers, chinos and joggers

Waist sizing is reliable and true to label here — it's the leg cut that varies, from genuinely slim to a relaxed tapered. Check the fit name, not just the waist number.

Trainers and footwear (read this bit)

This is the one that's cost me money. Lacoste trainers — the Carnaby, the classic court styles — run long and a touch narrow. I bought my usual UK 9 in a pair of Carnabys years ago and slid around in them like a child in dad's shoes. Go half a size down from your normal trainer size, and if you have a wide foot, try before you commit.

How I'd actually style it

Lacoste lives in that smart-casual middle ground better than almost anyone, which is exactly why it's a wardrobe workhorse rather than a fashion gamble.

The uniform: a Classic Fit polo in white, navy or that proper bottle green, with stone or navy chinos and clean leather trainers. It works for the pub, the office on a dress-down Friday, and a summer lunch.
Tuck or untuck? Polos: leave them out — they're cut for it. Woven shirts with a flat hem: tuck them.
Colour: the heritage greens and navies age far better than the season's brights. Buy a loud one if you fancy it, but build your core in the classics.
On trend right now: the slightly relaxed polo and the knitted short-sleeve are everywhere — Lacoste's roomier fits and textured knits play straight into that, so you don't need to chase a trend label to look current.

Seven brands worth knowing alongside Lacoste

If Lacoste's lean French cut isn't quite your shape — or you just want options in the same polished-but-easy world — here's where I'd send you, across three price tiers.

High street

Uniqlo — the most dependable sizing in this whole list. Their polos and Supima tees fit true to a generous S/M/L, so if Lacoste feels tight, this is your safety net.
Reiss — premium-end high street with a sharp, tailored cut not far off Lacoste's slimness, but with more "going-out" polish. Brilliant for smarter polos and knitwear.
Arket — Scandi minimalism, slightly relaxed fits and excellent organic-cotton basics. The antidote if you find Lacoste a shade too fitted.

Independent & boutique

Sunspel — the British heritage choice. Their riviera polos and tees are a touch more relaxed through the body than Lacoste, with superb cotton. Worth every penny.
John Smedley — fine-gauge knitted polos made in Derbyshire. A genuinely English slim fit; if you love the neat Lacoste silhouette, you'll love these.

Designer & luxury

Polo Ralph Lauren — the obvious rival. Crucially it offers Custom Slim and Classic fits, so it covers both the trim and the roomier crowd that Lacoste sometimes leaves behind.
Brunello Cucinelli — the splurge. Featherweight cotton and linen polos with an elegant, slightly relaxed Italian drape. This is where "smart-casual" becomes quietly expensive.

Stop guessing your size — across 1,500+ brands

Lacoste's numbers are one puzzle; every other label has its own. That's exactly why we built Tellar — the UK's leading sizing tool. Match your body to over 1,500 brands instantly and never squint at a size guide again.

Measure once using your chest, waist, hip — or just your size in a brand you already own.
Use the Store Size Lookup to get your exact size in Lacoste, COS, Reiss, Everlane, Arket and more.
Shop with confidence: less guesswork, fewer returns, better-fitting kit.
Always free, nothing to download — it runs right in your browser.

Find my size →

New to it? Here's how to measure properly first.

And once your sizing is sorted, the Tellar Fashion Hub is a free library of posts from our stylists — honest, unbiased, independent and always free. Style advice, top picks and the best brands, with nothing sponsored and no agenda.

Keep reading

Lacoste's sizing isn't difficult once you know the code — add one to your letter, respect the lean French cut, and drop half a size in the trainers. Get those three right and that little crocodile earns its place in your wardrobe for years.