Forty-Love vs Lacoste Tennis Dress: Which Brand Wins On Court?

There is a moment every woman has when she is building her on-court wardrobe. She knows the silhouettes she loves. She knows the colours she reaches for. And then she faces the question that has no immediately obvious answer: which brand is actually worth it?

Lacoste is one of the most recognised names in tennis clothing. Its history on court is long and its aesthetic is familiar. Forty-Love is an Australian label, smaller and more considered, built by a woman who plays the game and designed specifically for women who do the same.

This is an honest comparison. Not a dismissal of one in favour of the other, but a clear-eyed look at what each brand actually offers the woman standing at the intersection of style and sport.

The Story Behind Each Brand

Lacoste was founded in 1933 by René Lacoste, a French tennis champion who wanted a more comfortable shirt to wear on court. The crocodile logo became iconic. The brand expanded into a full lifestyle and fashion house, and tennis has remained part of its identity ever since. Today, Lacoste tennis dresses and outfits are sold globally, positioned as a premium European lifestyle brand with a strong court heritage.

Forty-Love was founded in Australia by a woman who plays tennis, padel, pickleball and golf, and who found that nothing in the market quite worked for the way she lived and played. The label was built from that gap. Small, considered Tournament collections. Timeless silhouettes. Designed for Australian women, Australian conditions, and a life that moves between the court, the plane and the resort.

Two very different founding stories. Two very different points of view.

Design Philosophy: Heritage vs Intention

A Lacoste tennis dress carries the weight of a European fashion house. The designs are polished and recognisable, often featuring the crocodile branding prominently and drawing from the brand's preppy, country-club aesthetic. There is a consistency to the look that its loyal customers appreciate. For many women, wearing Lacoste on court carries a particular social signal.

A Forty-Love tennis dress starts from a different question. Not "what does the brand stand for" but "what does this woman need." The silhouettes are tailored for movement. The palette is chosen for longevity and versatility. The details, a considered waistband, a hem that sits at exactly the right point, a construction that moves with the body rather than against it, are the result of designing from the inside out.

One brand designs from heritage. The other designs from the court up.

Fit: The Detail That Changes Everything

This is where the comparison becomes most relevant for Australian women.

Lacoste sizing is based on European measurements. Australian women consistently find that Lacoste runs narrow through the hips and seat, requiring sizing up one or sometimes two sizes from their usual. Even then, the fit through the lower body is not always right. This is not a flaw in the garments themselves. It is a consequence of designing for one market and selling into another.

Forty-Love is sized in Australia, using Australian women's measurements as the base. The fit through the hip, the seat and the thigh reflects the proportions of the women who actually wear the label. Buying your size means the garment fits. That sounds straightforward. For many Australian women shopping international brands, it is not.

Getting dressed for court should not require a calculator. It should require a size.

The Tennis Dress: A Direct Comparison

The Lacoste tennis dress is recognisable. Clean lines, often a polo collar or structured neckline, the crocodile detail sitting prominently on the chest. The construction is solid and the brand's quality is consistent. As a designer tennis outfit it carries authority. As a piece of Australian women's tennis apparel, it has limitations.

The Forty-Love tennis dress is designed for the match and for everything that comes after it. An A-line silhouette that moves with the body. A hem that sits at a length that flatters without restricting. Colourways chosen not for a season but for a wardrobe, white, midnight navy and forest green that work on any court and carry naturally off it.

The Lacoste dress asks you to dress for the brand. The Forty-Love dress asks you to dress for yourself.

Price and Value: What You Are Actually Paying For

Lacoste tennis dresses and outfits sit at a premium price point reflecting the brand's positioning as a European fashion house with a global retail presence. Part of what you pay for is the logo. That is not a criticism. Brand recognition has genuine value for many buyers.

Forty-Love is priced as a premium Australian label. What you pay for is craft, considered design and the kind of fit that comes from being built specifically for you. There is no logo premium. There is no heritage tax. There is simply the cost of doing something well in small, intentional quantities.

For the woman who wants the crocodile on her chest, Lacoste delivers. For the woman who wants a dress that fits her body, carries her through the match and looks as right at brunch as it does on court, Forty-Love is the more considered investment.

Versatility: Court, Travel and Beyond

A Lacoste tennis outfit reads as tennis. The branding, the aesthetic, the styling, all of it signals sport. That is part of its appeal for many women and a limitation for others. A heavily branded Lacoste tennis dress on a plane, at a resort or at a long lunch requires a conscious decision to lean into the sportswear aesthetic in a non-sport setting.

A Forty-Love tennis dress travels without that tension. The silhouette is refined enough to read as a dress, not just as a tennis dress. The palette is chosen for environments beyond the court. This is the versatility at the core of the Forty-Love point of view: pieces that sit at the intersection of sport, travel and effortless style without belonging entirely to any one category.

Built for the match. Worn for everything after.

The Community Difference

Lacoste is a global brand. Its community is the customer base of a fashion house, spread across markets and connected primarily by an appreciation for the brand's heritage and aesthetic.

Forty-Love is built around a community of women who play. Women who share a love of the game across tennis, padel, pickleball and golf. Women who dress with intention and appreciate a label that was built with them specifically in mind. It is a smaller, warmer and more connected community, and it is reflected in how the label communicates, designs and grows.

Designed by players, for players. That is not a marketing line. It is how Forty-Love was founded and how it continues to operate.

So Which Brand Wins On Court?

If you are looking for a globally recognised name with a century of tennis heritage and a consistent European aesthetic, Lacoste delivers what it promises.

If you are an Australian woman looking for a tennis dress that fits your body, works across your sporting life, carries beyond the court and comes from a label that was built with you in mind from the first stitch, Forty-Love is the more considered choice.

The crocodile has had a long and distinguished career. But the game has moved on. And for Australian women playing it today, there is a label that understands exactly where they are.

Shop Forty-Love

Forty-Love's current Tournament collection, including tennis dresses, skorts and accessories, is available at fortylove.com.au. Sized for Australian women. Free shipping across Australia.

Shop Women's Tennis Dresses Shop Tennis Skirts and Skorts Shop Tennis Accessories

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Forty-Love compare to Lacoste for a tennis dress in Australia?

Both are premium labels with a genuine court heritage. The key difference for Australian women is fit and intent. Lacoste is sized for a European market and runs narrow through the hips and seat for many Australian bodies. Forty-Love is sized using Australian measurements, so the fit is more reliable from the first purchase. Forty-Love also designs specifically for versatility beyond the court, whereas a Lacoste tennis outfit reads primarily as sportswear.

Is Forty-Love considered a designer tennis brand?

Yes. Forty-Love sits in the premium Australian women's sportswear space, with the design intention, construction quality and considered aesthetic of a designer label. The difference between Forty-Love and a traditional designer tennis brand is that Forty-Love was built from the court up, by a woman who plays, rather than from a fashion house that includes tennis in its range.

Why does Lacoste tennis sizing not always work for Australian women?

Lacoste designs from a European sizing base. Australian women, on average, carry more through the hips and seat relative to European sizing charts. This means Australian women frequently need to size up one or two sizes in Lacoste, and even then the fit through the lower body is not always correct. Forty-Love uses Australian body measurements as its sizing foundation, which removes this problem.

What makes a Forty-Love tennis dress different from other designer tennis outfits?

A Forty-Love tennis dress is designed from the court out. The silhouette is tailored for movement. The palette is chosen for longevity. The construction considers not just how the dress looks but how it performs across a full match, a plane journey and everything in between. It is a piece designed for the whole life of the woman wearing it, not just the sixty minutes on court.

Are Forty-Love tennis dresses available in Australia with free shipping?

Yes. Forty-Love's full Tournament collection, including tennis dresses in white, midnight navy and forest green, is available at fortylove.com.au with free shipping across Australia.

Can you wear a Forty-Love tennis dress for padel and pickleball?

Yes. Every piece in the Forty-Love range is designed for women who play across multiple racquet sports. The silhouette and construction of the tennis dress work equally well on a padel court or a pickleball court. The Forty-Love woman plays more than one game, and her wardrobe is built to reflect that.

What colourways does Forty-Love offer for tennis dresses in Australia?

The current Forty-Love Tournament collection includes tennis dresses in white, midnight navy and forest green, with additional colourways introduced through each new collection. All colours are chosen for versatility across court, travel and everyday life, and for how they carry across the full range of pieces in the collection.