Fashion: Australian Open 2011

The Australian Open has come and gone and unfortunately I wasn’t able to get this out in my usual timely manner. I have an excuse… I attended all fourteen days. So forgive my tardiness and on with the fashion…

Maria Sharapova: She didn’t get the results she wanted from the open, but on the court Maria still looked stunning. The design of the dress had shades of her Roland Garros outfit – the wrap-around style and light gray colour – but compare the two and you’ll see it is a very different design. This time around, the dress flatters her figure more and the straps have lovely detailing. As with the French Open dress though, the gray still washes her out a bit; a darker gray combined with a brighter orange would have been better. However, I’m being nitpicky; Maria looked beautiful in Australia. We look forward to what other fashions she brings to the court in 2011.

7.5/10

Venus Williams: As much as I would love to tear to pieces the yellow crossover tacky masterpiece of horror Venus displayed in her second round at the Australian Open, I can’t. As a rule I always review the player’s best outfit so we will ignore tennis’ worst ever fashion disaster and take a closer look at the dress Venus wore in her first round victory. It was blue, shimmery, and very very short. The colour and shine actually looked fantastic on Venus. The mesh panels and zip added a bit of flair to what was overall a very tasteful dress. The length, however, leaves something to be desired. Yes, Venus has fantastic legs and she is well within her right to show them off, but I don’t really feel wearing a dress that could double as a top is the right way to go about it. The no-pants look may be in in the celebrity world, but it doesn’t mean we all have to embrace the gaudy trend. Had Venus left a few more inches on this dress, I would be applauding her. Instead, I’m halfway between smiling and cringing.

6.5/10

Caroline Wozniacki: Stella McCartney is yet to make something for the bubbly Dane that truly looks good on her. The US Open dress was their best attempt so far, and had they not cut it five inches short the company would not have coped so much flak about what they continue to dress the world number one in. At the Australian Open Caroline showed much of the same; a dress that had promise but didn’t work with her figure and looked slightly ridiculous. Caroline is a pretty girl with a lovely figure; the figure of a woman, complete with hips and a bum. To hide it under masses of fabric makes her look rather large. I thought they would have learned that a year ago, when they put in her a similarly heavy dress, but apparently not. This time around Caroline is dressed a little like a ballerina and the effect when the skirt flies up is rather lovely. When she’s just standing there, however, it looks bad. I love the top half, but the netball-like skirt that balloons over her hips and thighs isn’t flattering and wouldn’t be on most girls. Keep trying, Stella McCartney, but perhaps think about the girl you are designing for next time.

5/10

Maria Kirilenko: You could have been forgiven for thinking Kirilenko emulated her 2010 Australian Open singles success, such was the talk on what she was wearing over the fortnight. However, the talk wasn’t centered around her rather boring top and skirt combo she wore in the singles, but rather a pair of bright watermelon short shorts she displayed in the women’s doubles. For all the skin Venus shows and the time Sharapova spends designing, sometimes what really stands out is the most simple thing. The shorts Kirilenko wore for her women’s doubles were bright, sexy, and totally different. They complimented her figure, unlike the Adidas skirts which make her look like a ruler. Let’s hope Kirilenko wears shorts more often in the future; girl has never looked so good.

7/10 (shorts alone, 10/10)

Roger Federer: Federer once said you’d never see him in yellow, or was it orange? Either way. he’s worn both now and neither really worked. I saw this outfit and thought ‘it’s not a winners outfit’, which may sound ridiculous, but it turned out to be true. A winners outfit for Roger Federer usually consists of red, or blue, or black. Not white with a tinge on yellow and dark green shorts. It looked Ok, but was far from spectacular. Just like his tournament, it wasn’t really what we’ve come to expect from Federer. I’ve heard he’s going full yellow in the future, and I anticipate this will look horrendous. Hopefully by the time the next Grand Slam comes around, he will be over his rainbow phase and will settle back to black. Yes, I’ve called him boring in the past, and much like Caroline Wozniacki in her interviews, he’s spiced it up. But there is no excuse for yellow. Not now, not ever.

 

4/10

Rafael Nadal: See above; not a winners outfit. The problem isn’t with the bright orange – Nadal generally pulls off bright colours well – it’s with the fit and shorts. The shorts are all kinds of ugly, looking like a cross between what you’d buy in a Bargain Bin at Big W and what my Dad wears, (which you can’t buy…anywhere). They cause the orange to fade out, not pop like black or even white would do, and they don’t fit well. Speaking of fit, can Nike made a shirt that fits Nadal like they can Federer? Nadal’s shirts either cling to him like they shrunk in the wash, or they are twenty sizes too big when the clinging thing causes him to sweat profusely against a certain unpopular teenager. Not a good look for the Spaniard; hopefully Nike can find something that looks both threatening and fits well come the French Open.

5/10

Novak Djokovic: A winners outfit. I know I keep harping on about this, but it is rare you can pick a winner by the clothes alone. Yet when Djokovic walked on court in his patriotic assemble, it was obvious. You could envision him holding the trophy. The clothes wouldn’t look good on Federer or Nadal but they were Novak to an absolute tee. With the Serbian colours and dorky shoes, it was clear Novak was feeling bright and confident in Australia. It translated into his game; the Serb played some of the best tennis we have ever seen from him. Yes, the shoes were ugly, no the outfit wasn’t particulary sexy or classy, but it was fun, fresh, and it belonged on the playful world number three. I continue to love Novak and Sergio Tacchini.

8/10

Marin Cilic: Fila don’t really make nice clothes for men, so I imagine Marin was happy when his contract came to an end with them. Marin played some of his best tennis we have seen for a while during the fortnight, (although that’s not asking much), and he looked mighty good doing so. No longer stuck in gawdy Maroon or giant checks, Cilic was dressed in a punchy orange and white assemble that fit his tall frame well. It takes a fantastic tan to pull off orange, and Cilic has that and more. Hopefully he can mix his new gear with some good results this season.

8/10

That is all from me for now. The Australian Open fashion was a touch on the disappointing side this year; let’s hope it isn’t a sign of things to come. Still, we had some stand-outs and overall the boys did it better than the girls. We look forward to the French Open where players often go for bright, exciting numbers. Just not yellow, Roger, please.