Click for more looks from Lacoste Spring/Summer 2014.

Can a line be both straight and flexible? Evidently, it can. Lacoste’s Spring 2014 collection serves as a sure example, showing structured sportswear that oozed with the fluidity of modern streetwear.

The concreteness of this line, first presented as the color-blocked pipings that ran their ways down the shoulders of a man’s polo and wrapped around the hem of a women’s mini A-line skirt, gradually gained lightness as the show went on. A classic striped rugby dress was remodeled with transparent jersey bands that ran across horizontally, juxtaposing its sheerness with the opaqueness of the navy knit. Finally, the transparency takes full flight in the form of whimsical nylon coats that breathed inhales and exhales of their own to the rhythmic movements of the models.

The colors, themselves, spoke an airiness that referenced the blinding white sunlight of summer. With a palette that a fellow showgoer described as “minty”, the collection was full of neutral beiges and earthy browns. Washed out pinks and unsaturated blues modestly added a hint of hues.

What was particularly impressive about this collection is the delicate balance of contrast creative director Felipe Oliveira Baptista seem to have mastered. Somehow, it just all made sense; as if it couldn’t have been done in any other way.

Boxy floor length coats were paired with fitted mini shift dresses and cool sneakers walked the runway alongside smart low-heeled sandals. A particular standout piece was a women’s halter knit maxi dress with a non-existent back and floor sweeping length. The contrast of exposed flesh and covered skin exhibited seduction rather than sultriness.

This season, Lacoste took the lines off the tennis courts and interpreted them in clothes that were precise and light in a way that directly reflected the art of the sport. As examined by the heavy applause of the runway crowd, the collection was a hit. A clean hit, at that.

Marina Zheng is the deputy features editor. Email her at [email protected].