AdiZero set the yellow & grey trend, but fashion giants Maria Sharapova and Stella McCartney were quick to follow. While the Russian continued her recent string of mishits, Adidas by Stella McCartney saw a much needed boost when it acquired the Barricade division. It got thus new ambassadors, with
old love, Maria Kirilenko, and
teen sensation Laura Robson joining the ultra exclusive team. Nike opted for a much bolder statement, showcasing a rather risky orange and purple combo that only Serena Williams could pull off. Roger Federer turned back the years with his pink shoes, while Venus Williams retained
her fashion credentials in a stunning watercolour EleVen dress.
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| Fernando Gonzales - Adidas AdiZero |
AdiZero set the trend once again, delivering a fresh yellow and grey collection that turned heads in Melbourne. Relying on strong ambassadors like Ana Ivanovic, Sorana Cirstea or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, AdiZero strengthened its credential as the youngest, hippest and coolest tennis apparel brand.
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| Maria Sharapova - Nike 'Maria Sharapova' Group |
Unfortunately for the Maria, she continues to disappoint. Although she's wearing a trendy dress, I really don't get the orange marker beneath her breasts. There are just too many details on that upper part, making the dress really heavy. Plus, as mentioned several times, I strongly believe that this shape does not flatter Sharapova's body. I really liked the
Russian's ultra sophisticated looks, so I am not a fan of these sporty pieces.
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| Nicolas Almagro - Lotto |
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| David Ferrer - Lotto |
For the first time in a long period, Lotto managed to showcase a hip collection that put them in the same league with fashion titans, Adidas and Nike. Their yellow and white garments looked cool on the brand's leading men, David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro. The latter was a recent addition to the team, following his split with previous sponsor, Reebok.
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| Sabine Lisicki - NIKE |
After Maria's mishit, Nike eventually produced a winning yellow look with its mainstream line wore among others by Sabine Lisicki and Czech Lucie Safarova. This is actually a rather cool outfit that is not over designed. Plus I like the striped tank top.
Maria + Stella = Neverending <3
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| Maria Kirilenko - Adidas by Stella McCartney |
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| Caroline Wozniacki - Adidas by Stella McCartney |
Maria Kirilenko,
the best dressed player on the WTA tour, was stripped of her
exclusive deal with top designer, Stella McCartney, in 2009, when Caroline Wozniacki became the leading lady. The switch proved inspired though, considerably increasing the brand's visibility. Caroline reached the US Open final that year and went on to top the rankings for two consecutive years in 2010 and 2011. However, following
the Dane's recent drop in form, a new strategy was required. This led to the merger of two Adidas divisions, Barricade and Adidas by Stella McCartney, the latter taking over the first. This implied that Adidas by Stella McCartney would welcome Barricade's ambassadors, among them none other than
Russian Maria Kirilenko.
It was so great to see
Maria back in Stella McCartney garments and the Russian totally killed it. I totally love her dress and the entire collection to be honest. It's a smashing hit and having all these young fashionistas onboard should totally boost the brand.
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| Laura Robson - Adidas by Stella McCartney |
Where's the EDGY Vika?
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| Victoria Azarenka - NIKE |
I cannot but feel that in comparison with the
stunning outfit from last year, this peachy Nike dress looks rather dull on
world number 1, Victoria Azarenka. Sometimes keeping things simple can prove a wise thing to do, but that's quite not the case with Vika. This boring dress just does not translate her edgy, outspoken persona.
Flamboyant Serena
Serena wouldn't be Serena without going over the top with
her on-court fashion. Even though I am not a huge fan of her purple & orange outfit, I need to give credit to the American for always wearing any dress with a killer attitude. It's her tremendous attitude that helps her land on the best dressed list. They say you should always wear the dress; the dress shouldn't wear you. That's never been truer than in Serena's case.
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| Petra Kvitova - NIKE |
While the American always pulls it off, that's never the case with
former Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova. The Czech always looks floppy and uncomfortable, especially when she goes for such bold statements. The clothes look ill-fitted and wrongly matched.
Pretty in Pink
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| Roger Federer - NIKE RF Group Day Look |
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| Roger Federer - NIKE RF Group Night Look |
At this year's Australian Open, tennis legend, Roger Federer, proved he still has what it takes to cope with his younger rivals; he defeated both
cocky Australian, Bernard Tomic, as well as Canadian powerhouse, Milos Raonic. The Swiss, one of
the best dressed players on the tour, has also upped his fashion credential, showcasing a daring night look that featured touches of pink. I think that's actually really cool from the 31 years old maestro.
Venus EXPANDS
Although she toned down her on-court persona since battling Sjogren's syndrome, Venus Williams remains the
undisputed fashion queen of the tour. Her brilliant watercolour dress represents just another great example of her creative power. The floral print is stunning and the black linings are wisely disposed to create a perfect contrast with the fading colours. The only thing I don't like is the cap and its white margins.
Venus is also interested in expanding her EleVen brand on the WTA tour, so she recruited fellow American Varvara Lepchenko and Australian Jarmila Gajdosova.
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| Jarmila Gajdosova - EleVen |
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| Varvara Lepchenko - EleVen |
The Movers
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| Julia Goerges - FILA |
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| Svetlana Kuznetsova - Qiaodan |
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| Milos Raonic - New Balance |
Julia Goerges ended her powerful partnership with Nike to join Italian manufacturer, Fila. Fila is struggling to cope with
Kim's withdrawal, so Julia's arrival comes at the best moment. Remaining faithful to the brand's trademark style, the German wore a nice all-blue ensemble, which perfectly complimented her beautiful eyes.
While one player joins the team, someone else deserts it. Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova ended a lengthy collaboration with Fila to become Qiaodan's main ambassador. The move raised eyebrows, but the most surprising thing of the switch was to see Sveta wear a dress for the first time in years. It wasn't a great dress, but it marked a nice transition for the boyish looking Russian.
Teen sensation, Milos Raonic, also flipped boats, signing a multi-year sponsorship deal with New Balance.
The Disaster
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| Galina Voskoboeva - Peak |
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| Yanina Wickmayer - Erke |
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| Mona Barthel - Denise Cronwall |
Although the 2013 Australian Open put forward a great fashion display, there have also been some not so fortunate case. Hopeless Galina Voskoboeva and Belgian Yanina Wickmayer made it again on the worst dressed list, but probably the biggest disaster came from German Mona Barthel. Sorry Mona, but that lace dress is just awful. I think she made a terrible mistake leaving Nike for Denise Cronwall.
photos: GETTY IMAGES
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