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Functional Fun

With game-winning fabrications and plenty of color, new tenniswear offers something for players of every stripe.

By Cynthia Sherman

Functional Fun

With game-winning fabrications and plenty of color, new tenniswear offers something for players of every stripe.

By Cynthia Sherman

Seasonal tennis fashion again emphasizes the technical side, as companies continue to improve their moisture wicking, feel-good, breathable fabrics, some boasting sun protection. Whatever the fabrication, though, bold block-pattern colors and bright trims, pastels, and whimsical prints come alive to make on-court and off-court passions functional and fun.

Lejay

lejay.com • 800-932-7535

Lejay features looks that go from edgy to classic, while utilizing the moisture-wicking high performance of the LeDri fabric in all pieces. LeDri fabric mesh in the red and white Maze line is perforated for ventilation and comfort. An athletic tank and flouncy skort are highlights of this group.

Pink and white, and prints, dominate the Domino line, which features skirts, skorts, a variety of tops, and jackets. Lavender, soft lime green, and white are featured in the Flower Power series, and the springy, flirty mod ’60s style is revived in the baby-doll dress. Trendy prints are big for Lejay and reflect fashions of the moment. Color blocking and solid pieces mix and match for a complete look, and all lines carry coordinating jackets.

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Bollé

bolletenniswear.com • 888-977-7272

Bollé makes a Fall splash with a variety of colorways: red and black in a wave design; a navy line with purple accents that includes a nifty box-pleated skirt; the Ocean View line, which features turquoise with white polka dots and stripes with black in geometric patterns; tops and skirts in multi swirls of pink with white; and Color Therapy, which features black and white floral with red, pink, green and blue accents.

Fabricated in poly-spandex blends, Bollé covers everything from cap-sleeves, polos, racer backs and spaghetti strap tanks to shorts, capris, skorts and jackets. The Performance Group boasts a fabric with an applied finish that features wicking, UV protection, and anti-static and anti-bacterial properties.

Bright fun colors make a statement in tangerine, black and white; electric pink, black and white; and citrus green with navy and white. All groups come in a range of coordinating pieces including skirts and fashion skorts, plus shorts, long-sleeve and three-quarter-length-sleeve jackets. Men’s tenniswear comes on board in a big way, too.

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Prince

princesports.com • 800-2-TENNIS

It’s solid gold at Prince, with its athletic-fitting Gold line, which touring pros will be wearing starting with the Pacific Life Open in March. Expect February/March delivery for retailers. This high-tech, high-performance line is both athletic in feel and fit, with vibrant, fun colors that reflect a youthful feel.

Technical fabrics work fluidly as the body moves on the court for optimal comfort, feel and fit, says Prince. Moisture wicking, anti-bacterial, and UV protection are woven into the fabric. Tank tops, V-necks, racer backs, skorts, skirts, polos, shorts, sleeveless scoops, long-sleeved tops, warm-up and separate jackets complete the line. The Gold line for women comes in black and deep pink; for men, white, black and silvery blue.

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Fila

fila.com • 800-787-FILA

Colleczione, as seen on Fila’s touring pros at the Australian Open, is the company’s signature collection for spring ‘08 and is shipping now. The men’s and women’s line — a white or black base, coupled with Chinese red coloring the contrasting details and stripes — was inspired by Italian fashion from a bygone era. Diagonal stripes represent Fila’s tennis timeline piece from Bjorn Borg from the ’70s — but the company has given it a sparkling updated twist.

Colleczione features feminine pieces such as a cami topped dress with contrasting stitching, a cami tank and skirts all in a performance poly blend spandex jersey that is lightweight and breathable. Skorts, skirts, jackets, camis, long sleeves, and polos are great mix and match pieces and pair with Fila’s Essenza woven short.

The men’s Colleczione features a white shirt with navy and lime detailing; conversely, a navy base is coupled with lime and white and there are complimentary shorts and polos and a sleeveless top in the men’s Essenza line. Fila says its men’s and women’s Essenza collection is a universal line in performance fabric that goes from tennis to gym.

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Head

gcooltech.com • 866-998-9192

The new Fall ‘08 line of Head tennis clothes features a proprietary fabrication called GCool InFiber Technology, which, according to Nex-Lvl Inc., the North American licensee for the new Head apparel, provides superior moisture-management, UV and antibacterial protection, and more. The apparel features bright, high-contrast colors for men, women and children. White and black are featured prominently in all lines, accented with bold flashes of color.

For women, black and white is infused with cool medium blue accents, while gun-metal gray combines with cherry red and lime. Pleated skirts, circle skirts, screen print tops, tanks, warm-up pieces and flirty ruffled dresses represent mix-and-match components. An innovative warm-up jacket featuring zip-off sleeves affords practical and fashion versatility. Color blocking and “body mapping” (a technology where different textures are knitted into the “high sweat” zones without the use of uncomfortable seams) are dominant.

On the men’s side, Head’s signature orange pairs with black and white, along with gun-metal gray, which is accented with royal blue and lime. Men’s warm-ups, tees, polos, tanks, and shorts cover all bases.

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Diadora

diadoraamerica.com • 253-520-8868

For women, the Gianna collection has plenty of options: a sport tank, sleeveless zip polo, sleeveless scoop tank paired with various skirt/skort combinations, and more. A pretty, light sky-blue and black debut in this Fall line, along with navy and red. The line also features a long-sleeve shirt with UV protection.

The men’s Gino collection sports bold navy and red in shorts, polos, crew-neck and long-sleeve shirts, also with UV protection. Men’s and women’s apparel is made of 100 percent DiaDry polyester and is moisture-wicking and anti-microbial.

See all articles by Cynthia Sherman

About the Author

Cynthia Sherman is a contributing editor for Tennis Industry magazine.

From the February 2008 issue
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