By Jackie, TW Social Director
Evening, TWibe! It's been quite a week, huh? Were not even a week into Roland Garros and we've already seen some fantastic tennis in Paris (and some not-so-fantastic blowouts, as is typical in the first few rounds of Slams). I could've done without that Gilles loss, though ...
A couple of notes before I delve into today's topic:
1) I'm thrilled that so many of you have requested to join our Facebook group, TennisWorld > Real World, over the past several months, but it seems as though both participation and enthusiasm have waned recently. I attribute this to the nature of any Facebook group; members tend to forget they even exist since they can't tell when there's been any sort of activity unless they're actually in the group's page. As a solution to the problem, one of our TWibers suggested that I create a TW "fan page." Unlike with group pages, when fan pages are modified, you're alerted in the News Feed so you'll be much more likely to catch updates. In the long term, this should help make TW more "top of mind" during your Facebook visits.
I wouldn't want this to replace the group, as some neat discussions are archived there, as well as countless member introductions that I find handy to this day(!), but it could serve as a more effective way for us to keep up with one another outside of TW. Before I put any effort into it, though, I'd like to gauge your level of interest - is this something you guys would enjoy? Does it sound like a good idea or do you not see yourself doing much with it? Please share your thoughts in the comments!
2) For those entered in the TAT Suicide Pool, feel free to use this space to discuss picks, gloat over wins, whine over losses, etc. I'm not entered - just didn't have the time for it - but I'm not against living vicariously through those who are, so any SP talk is welcome here!
Considering RG is on all of our minds (and will be for at least another week), I figured that today's Deuce Club should have an RG theme. So, today's post is all about RG fashion! (Somewhere, the inimitable Jacko is jumping up and down.) Many of you will recall that I wrote a fashion post during the Australian Open, as well; perhaps I'll make this a DC tradition during the Slams.
When I think about the outfits of my favorites and my not-so-favorites, the discriminating factor is color. So you'll notice that most, if not all, of my observations center around color. (I'm quite sure this isn't how I evaluate clothing in real life, else I'd be championing multi-colored muumuus for all. Go with it today, though.)
Blue seems to be the most popular color at RG this year. The "Smurf" look is in! Adidas went with blue for both the guys and gals, as we saw on Marat, Dinara, Gilles, and Ana, just to name a few. Several players not sponsored by Adidas went the blue route, too, including Roger, Maria, and Jelena J.
I love blue, especially on men (I'm a traditionalist, what can I say), and it stands out better than any color against the red clay, so I can't say I don't appreciate it. Still, in those first few days, after seeing blue kit after blue kit, I started to long for something different. Even something that didn't "go" with the clay.
Luckily, I got just what I was looking for in players like Feliciano Lopez, who showed up in orange. I give it a thumbs up - and I'm not usually a fan of orange clothing. (And I'm happy his hair is growing out, too!)
Speaking of different, how about Rafa in pink? Everyone and their grandmother has put in their two cents regarding his look. It's been rather polarizing - some say it's fabulous, others think he looks like a bottle of Pepto-Bismol. Me? I adore pink - would wear it every day if I could - and don't mind it on men in the least (I guess I'm not that much of a traditionalist after all). So I was pleasantly surprised to see it on Rafa. However, I have some reservations about combining the loud pink with neon yellow. Unfortunately, it leaves him looking a little like a pack of highlighters. I'm not sure that was what Nike was going for ...
While Rafa's AO outfit was met with just as much (if not more) controversy, I actually preferred that one to this. The sheer novelty of it, coupled with the softer color scheme (some blue, some white), made it more palatable, in my view.
And now, on to Maria. "Polarizing" and "controversy" are two words that seem to follow her, especially when it comes to fashion. I first saw her RG dress not in a photo but in action, during her match against Yakimova. I liked it. A lot! The cool blues ... the shape ... that it was a unique mix of daring and demure. Plus, it looked like something I'd want to wear while playing tennis - flowy, not at all constricting. I enjoyed the matching warm-up jacket even more than the dress (though I only caught a glimpse of it from the back). In photos, though, the look doesn't come off as well, which makes me wonder if my glasses are in need of adjustment. What do you guys think?
!Sveta A few other random musings:
~ I'm a fan of bright colors, but I'm also drawn to contrast. Black and white, especially, can be just as striking as a fire-engine red. This explains why I took notice of Jelena Dokic's navy and white outfit; it suited her well and was a nice change of pace from her Australian Open pastels. In my book, you can't go wrong with b&w, or some variation of it. Some might say it's staid - I just think it's classy.
~ Lack of color and lack of contrast don't do it for me, then. As with Elena's dress, which is a little too drab for my liking, both in hue and in style. (Is it supposed to be lilac? Lavender? A great idea, but perhaps just executed poorly.)
~ I'm a fan of Sveta's Fila outfit. I should be, right? It's got pink, as well as black and white ... my favorites all mixed in one! It suits her nicely - sporty but still feminine.
~ Roger deserves a mention for staying true to his classic look - crisp lines, conservative colors - while also updating it with that dash of orange. Very fresh.
~ Andy M. is doing his best Darth Muzz impersonation, appearing in all black (minus the shoes). He's the only one to sport such a look here, so of course I'm in support of it (see my commentary on blue up above!). All black is rather regal - and an added bonus is that it doesn't wash him out. I can't imagine it's very fun to be wearing that in the heat, though ...
I think I've given y'all enough to work with! (Although I just now noticed that I only really commented on the looks I liked, not the ones I didn't. Maybe that just means I didn't dislike very many ... I'm easy to please, apparently.)
Now it's your turn to share your RG fashion opinions. Who are your picks for best and worst dressed? What outfits surprised you? Which ones were underwhelming?
Calling 911 for the RG Fashion Police!