The 2012 New York Fashion Scoop

By far the poshest of the Slams, Flushing Meadows is the biggest and most spectacular fashion event of the tennis world (see the 2011 New York fashion scoop). Under the New York lights, all the players are dressing up hoping to conquer the biggest fashion scene and run away with the US Open crowns.

One thing that makes this Slam so special is its night session. Due to the fragmented schedule, top players like Maria Sharapova, Roger Federer, Caroline Wozniacki or Serena Williams made a habit of preparing separate outfits for the day and the night matches. Usually the day look is less precious and more functional, while the night one is glamorous, chic and ultra sophisticated. Some of the most spectacular tennis garments were actually wore during the night sessions here in New York.

As described at the start of the North American swing, neon colours are the biggest hit of the summer and they totally dominated the Flushing Meadows courts. Nike was the one who fully embraced the trend with its neon yellow and pink garments who really shone brightly under the lights. Adidas responded too by introducing some really cool vibrant yellow and light turquoise to its 'canvas' inspired designs.

Roses for the Queen

Venus Williams - EleVen

Venus always provides the fashion highlight of any tournament she enters. In New York, the fashion queen opted for a rose print which totally transformed her 2012 EleVen dress, giving it that extra edge needed for such an important event. Unfortunately, Venus lost early so we could not see her entire collection. 

Day & Night

Caroline Wozniacki - Adidas by Stella McCartney 'Night Look'

The same thing happened with Caroline Wozniacki. Hoping to launch Stella McCartney's latest fall collection in true style, the Dane succumbed to an injured knee which saw her crush out in the opening round. As she got to play just one match, Wozniacki showcased only her night look, which is by far the best of the collection anyways. She wore a classy little black dress which had some really cool touches.

Roger Federer - RF Group NIKE 'Night Look'

Roger Federer - RF Group NIKE 'Day Look'

Elegant as ever, Roger Federer chose an all navy look for the night sessions and some more colourful garments for day. I really like the baby blue-red colour combination as it's so vibrant and cool. Also, the red and white stripes on the polo are great. These are the kind of small editing touches that can make or break a garment.

Maria Sharapova - 'Maria Sharapova' Group NIKE 'Night Look'

Maria Sharapova - 'Maria Sharapova' Group NIKE 'Day Look'

Maria Sharapova has always shone brightly under the Flushing Meadows lights. This year though, her night dress was really dull. The front is so booooring and I don't quite get the odd mix of fabrics. I do like the spiderweb back and the choice of yellow though, but overall the look fails to fulfil the sophistication and glam requirements of the night session. However, the Russian did a better job with her day garment. The colour scheme is great, though the big eye on the front is strange.

Kim Clijsters - FILA 'Night Look'

Kim Clijsters - FILA 'Day Look'

Oooohh poor Kim! I reall don't understand what was she thinking to end her illustrious career dressed like that. This is a clear example of 'too much is too much'. Probably wanting to offer Clijsters a sparkling farewell, Fila went overboard and ended up creating a complicated, heavy ensemble which looked overly designed. The starry sky back was a great idea for the US Open, but things got messy when they added the thick red lines. It really is a pitty this was the last we've seen from the New York queen.

Jelena Jankovic - FILA

Nadia Petrova - FILA

Contrary to Clijsters' fiasco, her Fila 'team mates' Jelena Jankovic and Nadia Petrova showcased cool, simple garments. I like Petrova's garment in particular as it has a certain vintage feel. Also, due to the black - neon yellow colour combo the look is pretty cool and modern.

Teal Love

Gilles Simon - AdiPure

Maria Kirilenko - AdiPure

I'm so in loooooove with this Adidas design. It was an instant crush when I first saw it at Wimbledon and I grew fonder of it ever since. It's one of my favourite pieces so far this season and this colour combo makes it stand out even more. The teal with the turquoise works perfectly, making both fashionista Maria Kirilenko and Frenchman Gilles Simon look stunning.

Vintage Lacoste

Milos Raonic - Lacoste

Richard Gasquet - Lacoste

Andy Roddick - Lacoste

John Isner - Lacoste

In the Lacoste camp, the big guns looked great in vintage inspired clothing. While Raonic and Gasquet opted for some colourful garments, Americans Andy Roddick and John Isner chose simpler pieces, with A-Rod looking sharper than ever, as he stepped into retirement.

Neon Lights

Serena Williams - NIKE 'Night Look'

Serena Williams - NIKE 'Day Look'

Victoria Azarenka - NIKE

Julia Goerges - NIKE

Lucie Safarova - NIKE

Sabine Lisicki - NIKE

Fully embracing the neon trend, Nike produced some really cool, vibrant garments which shone brightly under the New York lights. Serena was the only one to display two looks (day&night) and although at the beginning I wasn't totally convinced by the mix of shapes and bold colours, I actually got to like her dress a lot. I find Julia's skirt a bit problematic though with that strange waistband which is not really complementary. However, overall I like these clothes a lot. It is probably the most modern, current collection I saw at the Open.

Colourful Canvas

Laura Robson - AdiZero

Angelique Kerber - AdiZero

Sorana Cirstea - AdiZero

Ana Ivanovic - AdiZero

Fernando Verdasco - AdiZero

Adidas is not falling behing either though, with as they took the wild yellow and tone it down, giving it a sweeter vibe by matching it with the light turquoise.

photos: GETTY IMAGES