US Open 2011 Continued--Traditionalism Lives On

Ana Ivanovic in Adidas, Maria Sharapova in Nike, Na Li in Nike, Pauline Parmentier in Lacoste, and Caroline Wozniacki in Stella McCartney for Adidas.

As adventurous as I can be in the trends I choose to wear, I usually fall back on the classics.  Tennis apparel is no exception.  While I loathe to be absolutely boring, I do stick with traditional shapes in skirts, tops, and dresses.  I rarely wear shorts to play unless my laundry bin is filling up and I haven't had a chance to refill my limited rotation of a tennis wardrobe.  There is something lovely about the traditions involved in tennis, and I am remiss if I attempt to mess with it to a large degree.  The ladies above exemplify (although, I will say, Caroline tends to wear some weird stuff from time to time) the classic tennis apparel that I love.  I don't mind a ruffle or splash of color here and there... but please, leave the crazy at home. 

Venus Williams and her Eleven line.

Venus always pushes the envelope when it comes to her outfits on the court.  This black dress with the lace back is actually one of her tamer options.  I'm just not a fan.  Isn't that lace uncomfortable as she tries to scramble around the court??

Galina Voskoboeva in Ellesse.

I actually have no idea who Voskoboeva is... and I know a lot of tennis players.  As I was trolling through tennis outfits from the US Open, I happened upon her ruffly concoction.  I like portrait collars, and as I mentioned, I like my share of ruffles, but this just looks weird to me.  Thoughts?

Christina McHale in Adidas.

Christina McHale was a bit of a Cinderella story.  She hails from neighboring New Jersey and upset Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli (seeded No. 8) to move forward to her first Third Round appearance at a grand slam.  The shapes of her top and bottom are classic and I love them.  However, the print on the skirt make me scratch my head and think... WTF??  I saw this outfit on several Adidas-sponsored players... and I shuddered every time at the garish print and color-coordinated shoes.  I will admit though, this is NOT anywhere near the worst I have seen.

US Open 2011--Celebrity Sightings

**Clockwise from far top left--Brooklyn Decker, Amanda Seyfried, Joanna Garcia, Vanessa Hudgens, Ciara, Maggie Q, Anna Wintour, and Blake Lively.  (Photos courtesy of People StyleWatch and Marie Claire UK)

J and I went to the US Open this past weekend while we were in the NYC area for a wedding in Long Island.  Man, everyone knows I am obsessed with tennis... but the Grand Slams are seriously something else.  They are truly a grand experience.  I've sat in a variety of seats in my times at Arthur Ashe... and I always feel truly blessed to just be there.  If you are a tennis fan, it is something you must try.  If you are an avid sports fan, it is something you must try.  If you like NYC, I highly recommend it. 

While my eyes were mainly glued to the tennis, as I hemmed and hawed over how easy the athletes make everything look, J mentioned that I was guilty of the once-over many a time as individuals passed by... and that I was victim to the once-over as well.  While I was confident that people were admiring what I was wearing (cream v-neck cotton dress with heather grey horizontal stripes, olive green grosgrain ribbon belt by JCrew with black and clear crystal embellishments, black cage gladiator sandal flats, cat eye sunglasses), I am sad to report that my observations were not all that positive.  I guess it is inevitable when you place yourself in a location full of tourists.  With tourists, you can shake your head and just assume they don't know any better... but with celebrities, poor fashion is just inexcusable.  Not all of them failed to make the cut.  Brooklyn Decker looked polished in her black Juicy Couture lace dress with scalloped sleeves and hem as she watched her husband win his first round match.  While it's not ideal for comfort or humid summer temperatures, Anna Wintour looks fabulous in an ikat-print sheath.  I suppose if you are the iconic Ms. Wintour, there is some a/c-powered room at your immediate accessibility if you start to break a sweat.  I love her outfit from Day 1 as well.  The brightly-colored statement necklace against the equally bright plaid is so lovely.  Blake Lively is always in-tune with fashion and locale--looking breezy and beautiful in her maxi dress.  Not sure I can jive with Amanda Seyfried's tourist-worthy outfit, as she adorns herself in a pink US Open t-shirt and denim wash Yankees cap.  Joanna Garcia looks prep-tastic, which was the uniform of at least 75% of women present on the grounds.  That being said... her outfit reminds me of the clothing worn by the women who were 45+ in age.  Maggie Q looks... old.  I have no comments either way with Ciara aside from her t-shirt being far from my taste in clothing.  The worst is, as always, Vanessa Hudgens... who, although being young, fabulously wealthy, and decent-looking, often manages to make herself look homeless.  Word to the wise Vanessa... boho does not equal hobo...despite the switcharoo of the same letters.

A Big Welcome Back... to Ourselves

Welcome Back!!

Having been in school for a lot of my life... the fall season marks new school supplies, shopping for a back-to-school wardrobe, and returning to a much busier schedule.  In the working world, that long summer vacation is a distant memory, but you can still look forward to the changing of leaves, temperatures, and most of all...wardrobe.

So most people who blog regularly take a day or two off...regroup... then return with posts the following week.  M and I... well, we took an entire summer off.  After a whirlwind summer, M has a new job, I am still at my current job... and we are both working really hard to get our lives back on track.  M was in DC visiting a few weekends ago, and we were in a buzz of excitement over the fall season's arrival...anticipating the weather and the fashion.  Fall is the favorite season for both of us--so we were loathe to keep the flurry of fall style just between us.  As we attempt to get back into the blogosphere, we hope to attract a few new visitors to the site.

So welcome back...and sit tight for suede, tights, knits, and boots...as we settle in for cooler, shorter days accompanied with lots of hot cups of coffee.  :)