The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

With over 1000 shops worldwide –  two of which are faithful members of the Cairo shopping scene, Lacoste’s little flagship store shines like a beacon with bright lights and immaculate window displays.

The Lacoste uniform reigns throughout the store, with an abundance of plain polo shirts stocked in a plethora of different colours. Of course, their iconic crocodile logo sits proudly on the chest of most – if not all – the garments. As many of the styles overlap in each orderly section, it took a moment to distinguish between the men’s and women’s collections. At the time of our visit, many of the items were on sale; however, this was only discreetly advertised inside the shop.

Women’s polo shirts were priced at a rather steep 995LE, whilst one’s with attractive, beaded versions of the crocodile insignia were retailing at 1160LE. The Lacoste Live line – 100% cotton polos – were 790LE and noticeably softer to the touch, as were the small collection of plain and yellow striped, boyfriend-fit t-shirts (440LE+), tank tops (428LE) and sleeveless polos (665LE). Long sleeved polo shirts were on sale at 590LE, and one woollen jumper would set you back 1720LE. Nautical, blue and white striped day dresses were reduced from 1895LE to 1370LE and pinstriped shirts were 1116LE, whilst casual jeans cost upwards of 1000LE.     

Mirroring the women’s section, men’s polo shirts crept closer to the 1000LE mark, as did the range of smarter dress shirts. An eye-catching bright orange and black polo shirt was priced at 1250LE and a slick, black tailored-fit button-down was 1292LE. A summery collection of short-sleeved casual shirts were 770LE, pale blue trousers were marked down from 1220LE to 976LE and navy shorts from 1390LE to 875LE. In preparation for the winter season, we spotted a navy windbreaker for 1895LE. There was also a small section dedicated to the bigger man, with a selection of larger polo shirts and several pairs of jeans, which were reduced from 1495LE to 965LE.  

The children’s section is much smaller, but offers a range of fun t-shirts (400LE+), mini-me chequered shirts (600LE+), girls’ sun dresses (810LE) and tank tops (435LE). Again, the standard polo shirts were priced high at 845LE, whilst special edition t-shirts with Swarovski crystal emblems were presented in a gift box and were priced at 990LE.

Shoes came in numerous different styles; flats (760LE), canvas shoes (515LE) and plimsolls (515LE) for women, whilst unisex rubber flip-flops start at 230LE. The men’s range included smart and casual loafers (1140LE+), sneakers (900LE+) and espadrilles (590LE). The kid’s shoes were undeniably cute, with preppy sneakers (390LE) and baby shoes with Velcro fastening (530LE) on offer. The shop also stocks a range of leather accessories including wallets, belts, laptop (3395LE) and messenger bags (1180LE).

Lacoste largely stays true to its reputation by stocking a large number of uniform items. But although few in number, we were glad to see some other styles, too.  Prices are almost excruciatingly high, so one can only hope that this is reflected in the quality of the garments.