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The Gents and Ladies of Lacoste. US Open 2010 Tennis Fashion.

Lacoste players have had a great run at the US Open, excepting a couple. As always much of what you see from the label is not what you can get in the US but pickin's ARE getting better.

Much of Lacoste tennis style has a very classic, kind of preppy fit with a Hamptons country club feel in presentation. I like seeing the line on non-preps like these players in full action. They make it feel like more of an every-person's line.

Stanislas Wawrinka has been wearing this polo, called the "short sleeve super dry color block sport polo with printed stripe details." Dear Lacoste can I suggest the Wawrinka or something simple? The shirt is $88 and is available at Lacoste but in a different color scheme (navy, white and pale yellow) in the US.

Andy Roddick's shirt was the Short Sleeve Printed Check Sport Polo in gibraltar blue. It also comes in black and white, also $88. There are a few nice variations of this shirt including ones with a zip instead of the button placket for a less traditional feel.

On Samantha Stosur and Dominika Cibulkova we saw the Lacoste Sleeveless Contrast Tipped Zip Placket Tennis Dress in white and pansy purple. It's only available in the US in purple, $145. The jersey tennis panties are $40.

For more casual Lacoste I like their weathered looking practice tees (I do have a fondness for the croc). Roddick had one on when I saw him at the City View Racquet Club in NY where his Andy Roddick Foundation was presented with a $15,000 check from his racquet sponsor Babolat.

Find the looks at Lacoste, Tennis-Warehouse for men and women and select tennis retailers worldwide.

Check out this video of Sam's post match shoot!

It's Fashion Week in New York and Venus Williams has the biggest catwalk of all.

It's fashion week in New York City and the creative juices are on display from the work of students at Academy of Art University to that of Tory Burch and Vera Wang. It is the week where long hours of planning, cutting and sewing are either rewarded with attention or dismissed as folly. Not one designer has a bigger catwalk, bigger live audience and more attention than EleVen's Venus Williams and she's taking advantage of it.

As styled models sashay down skinny runways under tents and in showrooms around the city, Venus as model runs, jumps, stretches and sweats across a tennis court, all eyes and cameras on her. So far she has played in four different tennis outfits all from her EleVen line being sold at Gilt.com. There are more to come.

"I'm having fun with it," said Williams to ESPN2's Hannah Storm last night. "It's all about celebration." And so the latest dress (like the black and red) is adorned with sequined fireworks. We've seen bold graphics, open backs, sheers, varied necklines, black lace, leather fringe, hot pink and body hugging style.

There have been a few malfunctions such as dresses riding way too high during big points but she's taken care to insure that what's underneath is fashionable too. The shorties are decorated with sequins as well. The wind on court has also been a challenge. "The fabric is light and flies when the wind blows," Williams continued smiling. Nothing has slowed her down.

Williams is living her dream, as fashion designer, model, business woman and star tennis player - she's an author too. "I love what I do," she commented to Storm referring to tennis and fashion design. It's all coming together for Venus and she's literally dancing to the music when hitting end-of-match balls into the crowds.

Yeah her outfits are rocking the tennis world and that's what she likes. As a designer to the tennis masses, she's got a few things to work on to make sure some of these new dresses are more user friendly -- that ride up is not working for me. Looking forward to seeing what she wears to the finals if she earns her place there though. Prospects are good.

Click here for a gallery of Venus's US Open Styles courtesy of LIFE.

Wilson's Spring/Summer 2011 Apparel Line Hits the Runway.

The U.S. Open provided the perfect backdrop for the introduction of Wilson’s new 2011 Spring and Summer line of apparel and footwear at the W Hotel New York last week. The collection, for both men and women, is full of color, graphics, and geometric details giving a fresh and exciting burst of energy to every piece.

“Inspired by fashion trends, innovative materials and smart design, the 2011 collection represents a comprehensive offering with pieces that are created for high end performance. We have combined visual energy and dynamic color with intrinsic technical features that ensure our products look great and are truly made to move on the court," said Claire Ortiz, Director of Apparel and Footwear for Wilson.

I'll be on the look out for who's wearing what come January. The new line ships worldwide January 2011.

WTA and ATP pros currently wearing Wilson include: Taylor Dent, Anne Keothavong, Jarkko Nieminen and Marta Domachowska. Mandy Minella wore the currently available  (and great looking) Tea Lawn Dress at the US Open vs. Venus Williams.

What WOULD Borg, Ashe or Evert do?

It takes the mind of a champion to win a major and so with homage to those that have so successfully played before us I give you some inspiration. Everything old is new again with these practice tees.

So you're down a set and two games. What Would Borg Do (W.W.B.D.)? What was it that took the guy to the US Open finals four times? Own the tee and those of other top ballers from online seller OldSchoolTennis, $26.99

U.S. Open 1978. Chris Evert defeated Pam Shriver and Jimmy Connors defeated Bjorn Borg for the trophies. Great tennis year. Hate to think that '78 is vintage but it is, at least in the fashion world."

The tee (above left) is one of the Sportique US Open Collection inspired by US Open programs and television coverage from the late 70s to the early 80s. I've seen Sportique US Open tees on athletes (Isner), on-air news correspondents and fans in New York, $32 for t-shirts and $66 for hoodies. The collection can be found at Arthur Ashe Stadium. select Bloomingdales stores and online at USOpenShop

Novak Djokovic and the Season of the Dragon. More US Open Fashion.

Another player with day and night style. Novak Djokovic's day session kit is from the Sergio Tacchini Dragon Line, white shirt with black tattoo inspired dragon graphics and black shorts with similar graphics; his night session kit has the same dragon but is blue/red. The coordinating cap tops it all off.

The inspiration for the new tennis line comes from the Far East, as the dragon is a legendary figure in Chinese mythology and the region is an important market for the brand.

Djokovic will play in the Far East after the US Open and this outfit was designed especially for China and the Shanghai Rolex Masters Tournament.

The Dragon Line is the last of Sergio Tacchini's tattoo themes for Djokovic and will close the 2010 season.

Find the Dragon Line soon in stores (mid-September) and online at Sergio Tacchini, Tennis-Warehouse and tennis retailers worldwide.

Seeing Stripes. Alona Bondarenko at the US Open.

Alona Bondarenko takes on Francesca Schiavone today in third round womens action. She has been wearing new K Swiss for tennis.

Pictured here she wears the new Y Back dress, $75, which has a really open back (see inset). This dress also comes in hyacinth violet and virtual pink with white.

Stripes have been all over fashion this year and it looks like they're sticking around for a while longer. They are fun to wear and really fresh looking. I'd pair this dress with a pair of black or white tennis shoes.

If you're not a dress fan, add a smaller dose of stripes with the really slimming Mesh Pleat Skirt, $50 and strappy Criss Cross Tank, $50. The sophisticate in me says go black or white with the top.

You can find Bondarenko's look at K Swiss, Tennis-Warehouse and tennis retailers worldwide..

 

Video: Be Faster with adidas miCoach and Andy Murray. Turn your smartphone into a personal fitness coach.

So you want to be faster on court? The answer is fitness training. The amount of off-court work ATP and WTA tennis players are doing has expanded dramatically; some players devote more time to fitness than actually hitting balls.

The problem? Maintaining a regime and paying for a personal coach. Most players of paying ability travel with fitness coaches who insure their athletes stay strong, fit and resilient to injury. Most of us can't afford this. adidas miCoach (pronounced My Coach) has a solution.

miCoach is a FREE downloadable app for iOSdevices (iPhones etc) and Blackberrys using GPS for real-time pace-based coaching. adidas says that Andy Murray uses miCoach to supplement his live personal training.

Pick one of the training programs geared for your sport (tennis in our case) and the app will offer you real-time audible coaching, keeping track of your activity and reporting back to miCoach online. Individual workouts are set based upon your weight, age, height and degree of fitness (be honest for safety's sake). You can track your workout online and map your progress and goals. The app doesn't yell at you to get up and going but it is motivating to see results if you stick to it.

Visit miCoach for more info and sign up. You can download the app right to your phone.

Janko Tipsarevic Takes Down Andy Roddick in His Jammies.

Ok that headline is not very nice for someone who played as well as Tipsarevic last night but seriously this outfit reminded me of pajamas. I actually have no issue with either piece alone or in combination with something white or black but together it was too much for me.

Put black shorts with this top for example. Hello great look. Love the fall color; reminds me of good wine.

This top is the new Fila Fall Center Court Print Polo in biking red with black, $55 USD. The shorts are the Fila Fall Center Court Short, $45. I'm going to recommend something solid from the Fila Essenza Group in combination with either of the two pieces.

Read here about his glasses. He's been wearing Oakley prescription lenses a long time. Can't see 'em here but add black socks to trending the the right fashion direction too.

Find the looks at Fila, Tennis-Warehouse and tennis retailers nationwide.

 

 

Roger Federer: Tennis Fashion US Open 2010. Playing it safe and between the legs.

At a recent press event Roger Federer said that Anna Wintour of Vogue Magazine consults with him occasionally on what he wears on court. Really? Maybe he ought to pull someone in from GQ or Details too, pubs that deal with guys.

His US Open look is fine yeah but nothing rock the world about it -- ok I'll admit it's classy like the guy. The shirt would be great with white shorts. Makes you really focus on his tennis though which is the point right? Did you catch the tweener?

For those who prefer an understated and tailored tennis identity though this kit is perfect. Nothing wrong with it, just not much I can say aside from it has a striped collar...woo hoo.

Pictured is the Nike Victory RF Court Mens Tennis Polo $80 dark obsidian (night) or football blue (day) with the signature RF print. His shorts are the Nike Competition men's Shorts $50.

Federer' tennis shoes are the Nike Lunar Vapor Tour Men's Tennis Shoe $120. The night version with the obsidian swoosh are my favorites. They are gorgeous up close. I covet them. This tee is fun too.

Find it all at the US Open, Nike, Tennis-Warehouse and tennis retailers worldwide.

Introducing Lija By Luck of the Draw. Rebecca Marino at the US Open.

Rebecca Marino, a qualifier from Canada, beat Ksenia Pervak of Russia first round Monday at the US Open. Today she faces Venus Williams in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

With this match against the #3 ranked, high profile American, Marino introduces Canada's Lija brand to the tennis world.

Pictured here, Marino wears the Lija Fuse Elevate Skort, $75 in aqua and the Compression Fierce top in Onyx, $52.

Lija is a Canadian brand, made of high quality microfiber active wear that's moisture wicking, uv protective and quick drying. For fall I also love the Fluid Destiny Pullover and the warmth jacket (like a big comfy hoody only dressier). I also like the Fuse tank, Risk skort and Magnetic tank. The grey (slate) in the collection is very soft and pretty.I'd combine it with white or black for a sophisticated look.

Here's more on Marino from Canada's Globe and Mail.

Find the line at Lija, Tennis-Warehouse and tennis retailers worldwide.