Fasion Police, Melbourne edition

POSTED BY BESS: And now for the perennial discussion of the most pressing tennis matter at hand... the fashion.

I know it's the Aussie Open, but I'm not sure I've ever seen so many day-glo brights at one time. It's like an '80s party, but with 2015 "shoe technology." 

Serena's backless Nike kit

Serena was interviewed by Mary Joe the other night, and she said all the Nike athletes are in bright colors. That explains a lot, since there are a swoosh of Nike athletes in the field. (See what I did there?) 

Here's what I don't get. The sportswear companies know the top 128 men and 128 women are all converging on the same tourney. If you're Nike, you must know players wearing your gear are going to be playing back to back to back matches on TV--and often playing each other. So why are so many of them wearing the same exact same kits? 

I get that there's cost effectiveness in producing just a few styles. So come up with a few for the season but then make those limited styles in a gang of colors. Maybe add a stripe here, change a fabric there. Allow for a little individuality in this individual sport. No? But why not?

It doesn't seem that hard to help the players avoid feeling like they just showed up to prom and all of their closest friends *and* worst enemies are wearing the same damn thing. 

To the uninitiated viewer, those early rounds must have looked like the same two players out there for 12 hours straight. I did witness two back-to-back matches featuring one player wearing the Adidas purple outfit and the other wearing the Nike pink/white get-up. It just seems odd and unnecessary. 

Clearly there's a whole lot about outfitting tennis players that I don't understand. 

Getting down to the specifics, this is not my favorite look:

But it was *everywhere* the first two nights. When paired with pink shoes and pink sweat bands, as I witnessed one player doing, it was like an ad for Love's Baby Soft. {shudder} Certainly we can do better than this.

Now, Serena's Nike dress is completely distinctive, being backless, and all (see photo at top of post.) As is Sharapova's (one of my faves, see photo at bottom of post.) They are premier athletes, so it seems to make sense that they have very distinctive looks. But must the rest of the players be left looking like an army of neon Garanimals?

Interestingly, after I had drafted this post, Maria tweeted photos of three women wearing her MS Nike line. Confusing, since they're all wearing the same outfit (is the line just one kit?) and the kit looks nothing like Maria's signature look for this tournament... but it does somewhat resemble Serena's look. Agree? So bizarre.

Oh - and, thoughts on Caro's Adidas number, dubbed "The Barricade?" (First, it has a name?) Her looks are typically a bit edgier, so this one has thrown me for a loop in all its muted glory. I don't hate it. But I don't love it.  

Woziacki's yawner of a dress

Finally, the men. Their fashion matters, too! It's just typically not as fun to discuss. 

I feel like there was more variety in the men's kits, especially in the early rounds, but maybe that's just me being distracted by all the five set matches they played! 

I'm not a big fan of Federer's lemonade ensemble (my name, not his.) He's typically hard to fault but this one just doesn't do it for me. Rafa's bright pink is fun, but all the neon yellow accessories are a bit much. Pretty sure Stacy and Clinton would have told him to "edit" his look before hitting the court. (Not that Rafa would have listened.) 

And then there's Kei Nishikori, in what might aptly be described as the UPS Power Pro Series:

No one else is really standing out for me at this point, but I can't say that I've seen everyone play, so I'm likely missing a few obvious Fashion Police candidates. 

I'm sure Dave has some thoughts.

DAVE WEIGHS IN: First things first. Bess, you stole my reference to the 80s!

Secondly, I haven't paid as much attention to fashion this tournament, as in past Slams. That may be because, as Bess (and Serena) noted, all of the Nike-sponsored female athletes have been wearing the same dress. YAWN. 

Pretty much everyone agrees this is an A+ look.

But, hold it, is that really true? I've only caught one of Sharapova's matches, but she was wearing this flawless Nike dress. Still in the pink family, but not the standard-issue Nike dress I have seen Serena and the others wear. Maybe I'm missing something? Or losing my mind due to the sleep deprivation that comes with trying to hold down a full-time job plus watch live tennis that's on at such ungodly hours back here in the States.  

Regardless, I don't mind all of the pink dresses, nor the sense of unity. Maybe it's subconsciously helped me focus more on the action than the fashion, at least in the case of Nike-sponsored women.

As for the men, do we really consider what they wear fashion? That's a stretch, in my opinion. I'll comment solely on Fed's outfit, solely because it was so bright and distracting. And roughly in the same color family as tennis balls, no doubt making it, at times, difficult for the opposing player to follow the ball's path. All of that strikes me as being a bit much, especially for a soft-spoken, gracious champion like Fed.

Then again, this isn't Wimbledon! Let them wear all the crazy colors they want Down Under. Just please, All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, don't ever bend your rules. I love Wimbledon's strict dress code, and the sense of tradition and honor.  

TENNIS FANS: Anybody want to talk fashion aces and faults from the 2015 Aussie Open? Opinions run the gamut, for sure. Feel free to put us in our place.