2014 French Open: Best and Worst Dressed at Roland Garros
The 2014 French Open began with cool temperatures and damp conditions. This forced many female players to cover their outfits with long-sleeved tops, postponing the anticipated fashion fair.
By the end of the week, the sun had come out, the layered frocks were off, and the show was on at Roland Garros.
With red clay as the catwalk, players have shown off trendy stripes, checks and florals. Chartreuse, that lime-tinted yellow, was everywhere. So were tangerine, orange and purple.
A few players, including Jelena Jankovic and Tomas Berdych, took risks that backfired. Others, like Maria Sharapova, played it too safe.
Sharapova, at 6'2", has fallen short on style in recent years. Her outfits are never bad enough to make the worst-dressed list. However, they aren't stylish enough to be considered among the best dressed.
So Sharapova is not on this list. Neither is the predictably poorly dressed Bethanie Mattek-Sands. That's only because she missed this year's French Open.
Merely wearing a well-designed garment does not earn a player a spot on the best-dressed list. The player must own the look and strut with a high "head-turning quotient."
Players make the worst-dressed list when an outfit goes wrong. It could be the fit, color, style or design. You know it when you see it. You start shaking your head.
Honorable Mention Best: Leon Zimonjic
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Leon Zimonjic, the son of Serbian player Nenad Zimonjic, took to the court following his father's doubles match. Kids can wear anything and look adorable. Check out this orange and black combo with the T-shirt that reads "King of the Game." How do you say "way cute" in French?
Honorable Mention Worst: French Open Fans
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Some French Open fans have worn interesting outfits. Orange hair, chicken-head hats and clothing made out of their country's flag are some of the more festive ways that fans have shown their enthusiasm at Roland Garros.
Honorable Mention Best: Serena Williams
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Serena Williams' French Open dress is a slightly modified version of her 2013 U.S. Open outfit. The A-line cut with flaring skirt flatters her hourglass figure. The yellow is stunning. However, the white high-waisted band and gray striped skirt keep this outfit from being an outright winner. This type of dress works best in a solid color, such as the look worn by Vania King.
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Honorable Mention Worst: Aleksandra Wozniak
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Canada's former top female tennis player Aleksandra Wozniak has been upstaged recently by young compatriot Eugenie Bouchard. Still, Wozniak is only 26. So there's no reason to bust out this soccer-mom look. It's frumpy and seems better suited for a weekend warrior than a world-class athlete.
Best: Venus Williams
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Unlike younger sis Serena, Venus Williams is still willing to take chances when it comes to choosing her outfits. It helps that she owns a clothing company, EleVen.
This design, called Aurora, suits Williams' long, lean frame. The black trim around the neckline adds an elegant touch and coordinates well with the black visor trimmed in white.
Worst: Heather Watson
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Once the darling of Great Britain, Heather Watson has been struggling on tour. So has her wardrobe. Last year, she wore one of the best-looking outfits at the U.S. Open. This logo-laden tank looks as if it came straight off the rack. Watson had to go through qualifiers, so perhaps she forgot to pack her main-draw dress.
Best: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has become one of the best-dressed men on tour. Well, at least when on the court. He's sporting two different outfits at this year's French Open. One is Wimbledon-ready in all white. The other is a beautiful midnight-blue ensemble by Adidas. With orange accents, Tsonga's shorts and shirt are classically tailored yet modernly sporty.
Worst: John Isner
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John Isner is big, but apparently not big enough to fit in the oversized tops he always wears. Isner would look much better with a more fitted outfit. Big can be beautiful, especially when clothing fits.
Best: Agnieszka Radwanska
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A few weeks ago, Lotto unveiled its clay-court season's Maddy dress. It's quite similar to the floral print Venus Williams designed last year. Agnieszka Radwanska was among a few ladies who wore the Maddy. Ekaterina Makarova wore a two-piece version with a short-sleeved top. Like a spring bouquet, this design is colorful and fresh.
Worst: Tomas Berdych
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Tomas Berdych looks like the accidental tourist in this floral flop. Since teaming with H&M last year to promote the company's first tennis line, Berdych has worn one disaster after another. Perhaps that's part of the plan. Just wear the worst thing ever so that people know H&M makes tennis clothing. It's working.
Best: Shuko Aoyama
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Shuko Aoyama, at 5'1" and 117 pounds, is about as petite of a professional tennis player as you'll find. She looks super-cute in this blue checkered number. Manufactured by Japanese-based Bridgestone, under the Paradiso label, the two-piece outfit is the featured look for the company's 2014 spring and summer collection.
Worst: Elina Svitolina
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Aoyama showed off how, if done right, pattern can be playfully pretty. Meanwhile, Elina Svitolina demonstrated how, if done wrong, patterns and prints can appear painfully pitiful. Instead of the light look of Aoyama's ensemble, this dress by Ellesse looks heavy, almost tweed-like.
Best: Roger Federer
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Roger Federer could probably take the court in Hanes gym shorts and a T-shirt and still look dashing. This guy oozes debonair, even in this sporty Nike outfit.
The V-neck heather-gray shirt features sleeves with a splash of color that Nike calls "university red." Hmmm, could that university be Ohio State?
Worst: Raven Klaasen
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If New Balance wants to shed its image as the brand for old folks, it might want to ditch this retro '80s look worn by Raven Klaasen. I doubt the company was going for AARP chic.
Best: Garbine Muguruza
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Several ladies donned this tangerine and purple look by Adidas. But Garbine Muguruza, 6'0", wore it best. These colors look glorious against her olive skin. The cascading neckline on the fitted top accentuated her long torso. It's a great look for taller women. It's less flattering on shorter women because the contrasting hues visually split the body in two. Simona Halep, 5'6", who wore the same outfit, looked less striking.
Worst: Chris Guccione
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New Balance's other geometric nightmare looks as bad in green as Klassen's shirt looked in orange. Even if they are being paid to wear these tops they need to consider turning the money down. Chris Guccione, shown here during a doubles match, makes matters worse by pairing the shirt with clashing shorts.
Best: Kristina Mladenovic
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Kristina Mladenovic wore another line from Adidas. It's the same dress worn by Ana Ivanovic, who usually wins any "who wore it best" contest. However, this time Mladenovic outshined Ivanovic by filling out the dress just a bit better.
Worst: Taylor Townsend
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Like Isner, Taylor Townsend wears oversized clothing. Teen girls, especially those who may be self-conscious, sometimes conceal their body with large and loose tops. However, the extra fabric makes Townsend look larger than she is. Also, like most teens, she's probably still trying to figure out her style.
Best: Lukas Lacko
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Lukas Lacko's French Open ended in Round 1 thanks to Roger Federer. However, this look will rock forever. Lacko brings bad-boy swag to this killer black kit by Diadora, an Italian-based company.
Worst: Jelena Jankovic
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Jelena Jankovic loves fashion and is not afraid to push the envelope. But she pushes too far in this stripe-centric dress from Fila's Heritage collection. The fit and sweetheart neckline are lovely. But similar to Jankovic's reputation for on-court antics, this dress is a bit over the top.
Best: Jarmila Gajdosova
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Want to see stripes done right? Check out Jarmila Gajdosova in this sophisticated and lovely dress from Venus Williams' EleVen Strisce Big Serve Stripe Dress collection. It's one of many recent hits the EleVen label has produced after a string of early misses.
Best: Jan-Lennard Struff
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Like Lacko, Jan-Lennard Struff made a bold statement in dramatic colors. This black and red outfit with Hydrogen's skull logo on the shirt and shorts works well with the Nike shoes in similar colors.
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