Lacoste Gilets Resale Value

Lacoste gilets: price by condition

Seller-declared grades, sterling with an approximate US dollar equivalent at £1 ≈ $1.33 (July 2026). What each grade means.

What holds its value across Lacoste

• The L1212 pique polo, which has been in production essentially unchanged for decades and is the item buyers search for
• Vintage pieces made in France under the Devanlay licence, printed on the care label, which carry a clear premium over later production
• Older garments labelled Chemise Lacoste, which is the original naming and dates a piece to the earlier era
• Collaboration pieces and the Lacoste Live sub-line, which were made in much smaller runs than the mainline

What pulls Lacoste resale value down

• A frayed, lifted or partly detached crocodile, which is the identifying feature and the first thing anyone looks at
• Stretched or greyed collars on the polos, the normal failure and the reason most used ones sell cheaply
• Faded colours on the brighter polos, which is common and very visible
• Current mainline basics in common sizes, which compete directly with a new one on sale

Identifying and dating yours

1. Lacoste sizes are numbered 2 to 8 rather than lettered, so state the UK equivalent and the flat chest measurement — this is the commonest cause of a return on the label
2. The crocodile should be tightly and evenly embroidered with defined teeth and eye; buyers compare it against reference photographs
3. The care label gives the country of manufacture, and Made in France places a garment in the earlier, more valuable period

What lifts any gilet, whatever the label

Gilets are judged on fill and zip, exactly like a jacket, but sell for less because they suit a narrower range of weather.

• Down fill with good loft
• Recognised outdoor and heritage brands
• Working full-length zips
• Intact baffles with no leaking fill

And what pulls one down

• Clumped or migrated fill
• Failed zips
• Pinholes leaking down
• Thin unbranded gilets

Working out what yours is worth

1. Shake it out and check the fill lofts evenly
2. Run the zip fully
3. Look for escaping feathers at the seams

What to state in the listing

• Size, with chest measured flat
• Fill type and fill power if stated
• Whether it packs into its own pocket
• Loft condition, and whether any seam is leaking fill

Brand, fill and size: “Rab Down Gilet, 700 Fill, Size M” or “Padded Gilet, Synthetic, Size 14”. Fill type and power are the searches for outdoor buyers. Say if it packs into its own pocket, which is a real feature people look for.

Preparing and photographing it

1. Establish whether it is down or synthetic fill, from the label, and note the fill power if given.
2. Check for down leaking through the seams, which indicates the baffles are failing.
3. Test the zip and check the loft by laying it flat — a gilet that has lost its loft has lost its warmth.

1. The gilet flat or on a hanger, front, whole
2. The side profile, showing loft
3. The label with fill type, size and composition
4. The zip and any leaking seam, stain or flattened panel

When it sells best, and handing it over

Lifts from September to February. Outdoor brands sell year round to walkers; fashion gilets are strongly seasonal.

Light and compressible, so postage is cheap. Do not store or post down heavily compressed for long periods, which damages the loft.

What buyers ask

What size is a Lacoste 5?

Lacoste uses its own 2 to 8 numbering rather than S to XL, and a 5 is roughly a UK medium to large depending on the cut. Always give the flat chest measurement as well, because this numbering causes more returns than anything else on the label.

Are old Lacoste polos worth more?

Pieces made in France under the Devanlay licence, and older ones labelled Chemise Lacoste, carry a real premium. The care label is what tells you which you have.

How much is a Lacoste gilet worth?

Roughly £13 to £55 depending on condition, against £12 to £50 for gilets generally. The identification points above are what move a listing to the top of that range.

What the fees would take elsewhere

At the mid-range £34 for a Lacoste gilet, against what the commission marketplaces would deduct:

Seller-side rates verified 26 Jul 2026, percentages only — the per-order and processing charges those platforms add are excluded, so the real gap is wider.

Listing is free and there is no commission — read how to sell a gilet for the title, handover and timing, or the general gilet value guide if yours is not a Lacoste.

See also: all Lacoste value guides · value guides by brand · buying a gilet · Clothing · condition grades.