A genuine Lacoste polo shirt can be distinguished from a counterfeit from the following:

"Mother of pearl" buttons - buttons made out of mother of pearl and are exclusive to genuine Lacoste shirts. Since mother of pearl is a naturally occurring substance, no two buttons should be exactly the same in appearance. These buttons should be devoid of any lettering or logos. Also, the buttonholes are horizontal positioned and perpendicular to the two holes on each button.

In polo shirts for men, the crocodile is embroidered on a patch then hand sewn onto the shirt, not directly on the shirt. In polo shirts for women, it is embroidered onto the shirt.

Tag is included with a genuine code instead of a generic one. (The generic one is usually 8558.)

The size is always a number (European sizes 34, 36, 38 etc./US sold shirts are numerically sized as 3,4,5 etc.) not a letter (S, M, L) and is on the same tag with the logo and brand name.

The crocodile logo should be about halfway between the second button and placket. It should never be side-by-side with the placket.

The real Lacoste crocodile logo is very detailed. It will be stitched on with high-quality thread and have clear colors and lines. On a real logo, the claws are visible and the tail is rather thin and ends in a pointy tip. The faux logos usually have rounded paws, super-wide mouths and a fatter tail that ends in a blunt tip.