After Wimbledon, the leading figures of the WTA and ATP tours took some well deserved weeks off to recharge their batteries and to prepare for the last Grand Slam of the season, the US Open. With the North American hardcourt season in full swing, the Fashion Scoop looked at the latest tennis fashion trends.
Adidas wins the clash of the Titans
A sports rivalry as big as any other on court duel is the one between Adidas and Nike. As always, the two most famous sports apparel producers go head to head again this summer in search for fashion supremacy. While Nike is renowned for signing with the most important players (see Sharapova, Federer, Nadal or Serena Williams), Adidas focuses on recruiting the raising stars. In line with their youthful approach, the German manufacturer proposes a fresh line which clearly wins them the race. Lacking the big names, Adidas can always rely on beauty, Maria Kirilenko, Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki or Sorana Cirstea being among their most precious assets. I must admit I was always a fan of Adidas as their clothes are more hip, fashion forward and have the salt and pepper needed by any garment. You can feel they don't disregard the design and that adds to their prestige.
Their proposition for this summer is cool, vibrant & joyful and their colour palette well chosen. Contrary to their previous collection, when they've struggled at this department, the purple pink and the light blue they've combined now are a great match.
Also, their more classical line is well represented by Pennetta's red-dark blue outfit. Moreover, they've looked to find a great ambassador in Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who looks very well in their vivid T-shirt propositions.
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| Ana Ivanovic - Adidas AdiZero |
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Christina McHale - Adidas AdiZero
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| Flavia Pennetta - Adidas AdiPure |
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| Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - Adidas AdiZero |
I was actually rather disappointed by Nike and what they came up with. They clothes lack imagination, colour or any sort of spark. They are so dull, I have to ask whether someone actually spent time putting together such designs. Although they rely on a powerful portfolio, the manufacturer doesn't seem to be doing much to help their stars stand out on the tennis court. Serena is probably my biggest disillusion. She looks like she's wearing a practicing outfit. The only one that makes an impression is Julia Gorgeous, though it can be argued that the gorgeous German would look hot in anything.
Nevertheless, Nike is willing to invest in keeping their stars satisfied. This thing is obvious in the case of Maria Sharapova. The Russian Diva is back at her utmost best wearing her signature pieces, white for the day, brown for the night.
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| Serena Williams - NIKE |
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| Julia Goerges - NIKE |
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| Na Li - NIKE |
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| Victoria Azarenka - NIKE |
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| Maria Sharapova - NIKE, Maria Sharapova Group |
...and now the rest of the field
After concluding the dispute between moguls Adidas and Nike, it's now time to look at what the other producers put forward this summer. Unfortunately, the first two examples are a definite 'No No'. Nadia Petrova recently admitted that she is not a fierce fan of what her sponsor, Ellesse, designs for her. And she has all the reasons in the world to be worried, as you don't need to be fashion gifted to reach that conclusion. Lacking any form of style, the Russian bulldozer is a constant presence on the worst dressed list. Although, this time she resumed to white separates, Nadia's heavy demeanor and that shabby ribbon under her breast totally destroyed the poor garment. Galina Voskoboeva, her Ellesse companion might have stirred some waters with her wins over Marion Bartoli and Maria Sharapova in Toronto, but she'd come far to making a fashion impression with her silly cinderella-wannabe dress. The piece strengthens the claim that Ellesse's fashion aesthetic is out-dated and shabby.
Keeping her company on the oops list is fashionista-wanna-be, Jelena Jankovic. She was always one to showcase ugly pieces, but after signing with the Chinese company Anta, her style went from bad to hideous. This time she wore a peachy beach dress, which she pimped by adding some purple shapes on the side. The problem with her is that she is actually trying to be hip. She assumes this fashion icon status, but she's the epiphany of bad taste.
On the brighter side, K-Swiss and their partnership with Monfils produced spectacular results once more, the athletic Frenchman always managing to look great in the vividly coloured clothes. This summer he wore two garments, both hip, youthful and joyful: the light blue T-shirt and shorts and the sleeveless red top and the white shorts. With a style perfectly reflecting his exuberant personality, he is one of the best dressed players on the tour.
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| Galina Voskoboeva - Ellesse |
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| Nadia Petrova - Ellesse |
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