Australian Open 2012: Fashion Hits And Misses
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 3:44PM Check out the fashion hits and misses of the 2012 Australian Open as seen by Kait O'Callahan who is reporting from Down Under.
Caroline Wozniacki has had to wear some hideous things of late. She's been in all manner of frills, puffballs, and fabric that add an extra 10kg to her frame. Thankfully, Stella McCartney has gone back to basics for Wozniacki's 2012 AO campaign. Her bright orange dress fits snugly to her body, which compliments Wozniacki's figure far better than anything loose and flowy. The dress flairs out around her hips and adds a bit of glamour when she swings through her backhand. My only criticisms are that the back of the dress is far longer than the front, the pattern looks a little weird, and the visor should have been white. Other than that, the world number one finally looks great.
Final Grade: 8/10
Victoria Azarenka is decked out in shorts and a singlet. It's an outfit, her Nike reps say, that is inspired by the Australian surfer look. If the look they're going for means fun, relaxed, and a little bit tomboy, then they've nailed it. But do we like it? I vote yes. I've never really bought the idea of Vika in pink, girly dresses, so it makes a nice change to see her in something that fits her loud personality. I'm not huge on singlets, but her shorts looks practical, cool, and they show off those ultra long legs. It's a good look for one of the hot favourites.
Final Grade: 7/10
When Jelena Jankovic switched to Fila, I anticipated terrible things. White singlets, dull skirts, the identical outfit as the person opposite the net... safe to say I didn’t expect to be writing good things about Jankovic’s outfits again. I’m not sure if Jankovic has any input into the designs she wears, but she’s taken Fila from fug to fab overnight. Fila could also teach Adidas a thing or two about colour-blocking; they’ve clashed colours with perfection. We’ve seen pink/red and orange/pink pulled off without fear in a flattering dress. She’s worn four different outfits this fortnight, and the one below is my favourite.
Final Grade: 8/10
Maria Sharapova just keeps upping the ante when it comes to her game and fashion. She’s been in Australia a long time now - long enough to work on her serve and her tan. She’s so tanned, that her blonde hair and skin positively pop against her white and lime green dress. It’s a simple design that Maria has made look anything but simple. As per usual, she’s ahead of the field.
Final Grade 9/10
Roger Federer and his wife have been working hard to reinvent his outfits. The two designed the shirt Federer is wearing for the Australian Open together, adding black detailing to the standard red Nike polo. It’s a good effort, and it’s nice to see Federer trying to change it up without dropping the collar, but the black pattern looks a little off. Perhaps it would have looked less like a giant strip of masking tape if it were white. I’m not a massive fan but points for effort.
Final Grade 6/10
Blue and green should never be seen unless there’s... Rafa... in between? I’m not so sure. Whilst Rafa doesn’t look terrible, he doesn’t exactly look like the menacing force he is either. It doesn’t look like it was designed with Rafa in mind; it doesn’t stand out enough, it isn’t fiery enough, it isn’t ‘Rafa’ enough. There’s nothing technically wrong with the outfit, except that it just isn’t as exciting as Rafa deserves.
Final Grade: 6/10
Novak Djokovic is dressed in silk pajamas. He’s also just dropped a set to Lleyton Hewitt. These things can’t be unrelated. Every Slam Novak won last year was celebrated in a decent outfit; I thought Sergio Tacchini had moved on from their ‘rich opium user’ look. However, Djokovic has stepped out again in black clothing that glimmers with a red and white pattern reminiscent of that terrible dragon look from a few years back. It isn’t a winners outfit. It isn’t even good.
Final Grade: 4/10
Is Juan Martin del Potro the only man in the top fifteen that looks really good? Nike have made sure he stands out enough to be noticed as a dark horse, but he isn’t flash enough to look like he doesn’t belong. He’s got Delpo written on his shoes, navy blue shorts with a single stripe that matches his tee, and a tee that matches the court. It sounds a little matchy-matchy, but it isn’t. Remember the delPo days of neon singlets? They’ve gone, and been replaced with class, style, and a little bit of flair.
Final Grade 8/10
Honourable mentions: Serena Williams, Julia Goerges, and Viktor Troicki (I’ve never seen a man look so good in orange shorts)
Dishonourable mentions: Laura Robson and anyone else wearing that outfit, Andy Murray, and Fernando Verdasco x 1000
Photos: Getty Images
Kait O'Callahan also has her own tennis blog Any Given Surface. To follow her on Twitter, click here.
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