.JPG&w=3840&q=100)
Serving Looks: The Evolution of Tennis Style at Roland Garros
There are few fashion stages as rich in tradition—and ripe for subtle rebellion—as the red clay of Roland Garros. Each May, as the French Open serves up its spring spectacle of topspin and tension, the question isn't just who will win the title—it's who will serve the best look. Not the aloof, logo-dripped brand of cool seen courtside at a Knicks game, but a distinctly elegant je ne sais quoi —where form meets function in pleated skirts, crisp whites, and increasingly, elevated activewear with the ideal of runway lineage.
Yet to understand the present, it's worth looking back. Tenniscore has always been a mirror of the moment—and a few steps ahead. In the early 1900s, women like Suzanne Lenglen glided across the clay in flowing silk dresses and bandeau headbands, breaking free from corsetry with every swing. Fast forward to the '70s and '80s, and style icons like Björn Borg and Chris Evert brought glam to the baseline with short shorts, gold chains, and perfectly feathered hair. The court became a catwalk, and the players—style stars in their own right.
By the 2000s, enter Venus and Serena Williams, who redefined not just the game but the look of it. Serena's body-hugging dresses, knee-high boots, and that now-legendary black catsuit in 2018 turned Roland Garros into a battleground for fashion-forward athleticism and athletic-forward fashion. It was about performance, yes—but also about presence.
Photo: Daniele Oberrauch / Gorunway.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vogue Arabia
13 hours ago
- Vogue Arabia
Angèle Partners with Chanel Beauty for its New Scent
Pioneering a form of urban pop that's fresh and fluid while championing feminist causes close to her heart, singer and songwriter Angèle is a rising French and Belgian pop music star. She topped charts for nine weeks in a row with her 2018 track, Tout Oublier, collaborated with Dua Lipa on Fever in 2020 and made her musical film debut in Anette in 2020. In 2023, she won the award for the most streamed female album during the annual French music awards and last year, she performed at the Paris Olympics closing ceremony. Not only is she the face of Chanel Beauty's latest launch – Chance Eau Splendide – but she also composed a new song, A Little More, for the campaign. The new fragrance, with its revitalising fruity-floral scent and refreshing lilac tint, was inspired by Gabrielle Chanel's reverence for luck – which, more than just good fortune, is an everlasting mindset to embody. This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from. How do you manifest luck and good fortune? I've been very lucky in my life, and being here today is proof of that! I believe I also have the good fortune of being an optimist. I like to move toward joy. We must never forget that one of the solutions to anxiety is joy. Joy is very powerful – it's a real mantra for me. As long as we can, as long as we have the opportunity, we must cherish and maintain our joy, which opens the door to even more luck and optimism. If it doesn't work this time, it will tomorrow. There is no luck without audacity. What's the biggest risk you've ever taken? I took my two managers by the hand, and we went to Paris to play our demos. It was a real gamble! I suddenly found myself face to face with people from the music industry. I was afraid they wouldn't understand the direction I wanted to go in. I wanted to remain independent, to write and produce my songs under my own label and publishing company. It was a big risk. At the time, the path to independence, which today seems obvious to me, was difficult to take. And I'm still grateful for that audacity – that desire to dive headfirst, that I had at that age. Wearing perfume is like wearing invisible armour. What does this gesture mean to you? For me, wearing perfume is a way of giving yourself momentum. Strength. When I put on perfume, I instinctively set myself in motion. My perfume is the final touch before leaving the house and opening myself up to the world, to others. It gives me confidence. After getting dressed and putting on makeup, I put on my perfume, and I feel complete. The new fragrance is inspired by the kind of luck you seize. Do you remember the day you encountered a life-changing opportunity? When I was 20, this incredible woman I'd known since childhood contacted me and said she'd seen my videos on Instagram. She asked me, "What if we worked together?" At that point, I'd never dared to consider a career as a musician. It seemed like a totally insurmountable challenge. Nevertheless, I agreed to discuss it. And in the end, it wasn't just a discussion. When I got home, I immediately got to work, installed music production software which I still use today, and created my first songs, productions and lyrics. There are encounters that change your life; people you meet along the way who transform your journey.
Vogue Arabia
3 days ago
- Vogue Arabia
Serving Looks: The Evolution of Tennis Style at Roland Garros
There are few fashion stages as rich in tradition—and ripe for subtle rebellion—as the red clay of Roland Garros. Each May, as the French Open serves up its spring spectacle of topspin and tension, the question isn't just who will win the title—it's who will serve the best look. Not the aloof, logo-dripped brand of cool seen courtside at a Knicks game, but a distinctly elegant je ne sais quoi —where form meets function in pleated skirts, crisp whites, and increasingly, elevated activewear with the ideal of runway lineage. Yet to understand the present, it's worth looking back. Tenniscore has always been a mirror of the moment—and a few steps ahead. In the early 1900s, women like Suzanne Lenglen glided across the clay in flowing silk dresses and bandeau headbands, breaking free from corsetry with every swing. Fast forward to the '70s and '80s, and style icons like Björn Borg and Chris Evert brought glam to the baseline with short shorts, gold chains, and perfectly feathered hair. The court became a catwalk, and the players—style stars in their own right. By the 2000s, enter Venus and Serena Williams, who redefined not just the game but the look of it. Serena's body-hugging dresses, knee-high boots, and that now-legendary black catsuit in 2018 turned Roland Garros into a battleground for fashion-forward athleticism and athletic-forward fashion. It was about performance, yes—but also about presence. Photo: Daniele Oberrauch /
Vogue Arabia
4 days ago
- Vogue Arabia
Chanel Unveils ‘Reach for the Stars' High Jewellery Collection Honouring Iconic Symbols and Gabrielle Chanel's Legacy
Long before logos became shorthand for luxury, Gabrielle Chanel filled her world with emblems of deep meaning. Faux pearls – once dismissed as improper for elegant women – were worn in bold defiance of convention. The camellia, which she admired for its resilience and simplicity, became an immortal house code, appearing on the lacquered screens in her Rue Cambon apartment. These symbols continue to surface across the Chanel universe, from couture to accessories and beauty. Now, in the house's latest high jewellery offering, Reach for the Stars, it is the lion, comet and, introduced for the first time, wings that are reimagined as contemporary icons of the maison. These motifs are transformed into extraordinary pieces of jewellery that speak to Chanel's heritage and future. The 109-piece collection (90 debuting this year) honours the brand's legacy while marking a final curtain call for its late fine jewellery director, Patrice Leguéreau. 'It is indeed a great tribute to him. Over the years, he constantly pushed the boundaries and elevated Chanel fine jewellery to new heights, playing masterfully with the house's codes and symbols,' says Dorothée Saintville, international product marketing director of watches and fine jewellery at Chanel. First seen in Gabrielle Chanel's revolutionary 1932 Bijoux de Diamants line, the comet stood for freedom – representing women charting their own path. An ideology that feels just as relevant today. Mademoiselle Chanel created pieces without clasps, designed to flow effortlessly, reflecting her belief that jewellery should follow – not restrict – a woman's movement. We see the comet in a new light in Reach for the Stars, where it is conceived as a symbol of Chanel's take on glamour. In the Blazing Star set, it is elongated in fine gold and onyx, while the Dazzling Star choker features tw o diamond pendants that instantly draw the eye to the neckline. 'These symbols, part of Gabrielle Chanel's universe, never cease to evolve through time. They stay the same but are always different. Thanks to new specific attributes, they incarnate the proper spirit of each collection,' adds Saintville.
