Before putting a single point on the board at this year’s Australian Open, the tennis star Naomi Osaka of Japan on Tuesday scored something of a fashion victory — at least among those who measure such wins by the attention they generate.
For her first-round match against Antonia Ruzic from Croatia, Ms. Osaka walked into the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne wearing a frilly greenish-blue athletic dress with swishy white pleated pants. On her head was a white wide-brim hat with a gauzy veil, and in her hand was not a tennis racket, but a white parasol. (Ms. Osaka shed the pants, hat and umbrella before the start of the match, which she won.)
Developed by Nike, which sponsors Ms. Osaka, and the couture designer Robert Wun, the ensemble made headlines in mainstream and fashion publications alike. The way it wafted behind Ms. Osaka as she strode onto the court made her resemble a jellyfish, a creature that inspired the outfit, she said in an interview with Vogue. (Another inspiration: butterflies.)
In a conversation that has been edited and condensed, a New York Times fashion critic and two Styles reporters discuss their reactions to the look and its significance.
YOLA MZIZI In the interview with Vogue, Ms. Osaka said some of her indelible memories of star players and star plays were often connected to how they expressed themselves on the court. Would you cast this look as memorable?
ALEX VADUKUL I kind of loved it. Ms. Osaka is well known for bringing a signature style to the tennis court, but this outfit felt on another level of fashion statement. Dramatic and operatic in a Baz Luhrmann way. I got Gatsby and flapper vibes from the big brimmed white hat. There was also something bridal to the floor-length veil.
MZIZI The look took me out of the game entirely. It conjured images of “Sunday best” attire, with the towering headpiece, veil and parasol. It brought a sense of solemnity to Ms. Osaka’s style, which often leans playful.
VANESSA FRIEDMAN I think it literally was a runway look — a Robert Wun hat, veil and pants — adapted to fit around a Nike tennis dress. For me, it veered too much toward costume. It seemed more like distraction, and less like inspiration. It’s a lot more calculated, and a lot more eye-catching, than an athlete merely having fun with clothes.
But it is also true that to make an impression through a smartphone screen, you have to go to extremes — like to the couture runways in Paris, which is where Wun shows his namesake collections. Ms. Osaka wearing his designs with the Nike dress might have been about performance, but not a sports performance.
VADUKUL Wun has also been responsible for looks worn by Lady Gaga and Beyoncé.
MZIZI Most of the sports and fashion tie-ups we’ve encountered in the last few years have involved ready-to-wear labels. Is it now haute couture’s turn?
VADUKUL Ms. Osaka’s ensemble brings to mind the viral nature of red carpets today — how clothes themselves can become news if a moment in the spotlight is deftly seized. Ironically, there’s a bit of a sport-like competition when you think about the lengths celebrities, athletes and public figures may go to effectively snag a fashion moment.
FRIEDMAN Well, and who can use the moment to extend their sports brand into a personal brand that can exist in a time after the court. Ms. Osaka has laid the groundwork pretty effectively for that.
VADUKUL In a news conference, she discussed the lineage of tennis fashion past: “I grew up with the GOATs of style, Serena, Venus, Sharapova,” she said. Where does Ms. Osaka fit into the wider canon of tennis-court fashion?
FRIEDMAN Pointedly, players like Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova made their style statements on the court — not through what they wore walking onto it. Ms. Osaka’s attire (or accessories) have not challenged the on-court status quo the way, say, Ms. Williams’s tutus and catsuits did. But I would cast Ms. Osaka’s look as a next step in the fashion-sports relationship. It was like Jannik Sinner carrying a Gucci bag onto the court, a choice that sent shock waves through the tennis community when it happened, but on another level.
Ms. Osaka’s look on Tuesday took the idea of a tunnel walk and raised it to a Met Gala level. The question for me is whether this is a one-off, or the start of a whole new sports phenomenon, where the athlete entrance becomes a custom fashion moment. Is Ms. Osaka an influencer or an outlier?
MZIZI If we are faced with that reality, I’m concerned that looks may veer toward costume. I’m not sure who that will serve.
FRIEDMAN No pun intended?
Vanessa Friedman, Yola Mzizi and Alex Vadukul contributed reporting.
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