Roger Federer said that Wimbledon's "tighter enforcement of its all-white clothing policy for players is 'too strict,'" according to the AP. There have "been complaints this year from some players over the more stringent regulations that include undergarments, the amount of colored trim on shirts and shorts and headbands and wristbands." Federer said that he hopes Wimbledon "might be less rigid with the all-white clothing rules in the future." He said, "Maybe one day they'll loosen up the grip again a bit, but that's the time we go through right now." Federer during last year's tournament was told "not to wear running shoes with orange soles" (AP, 7/2). ESPN's Stan Verrett said as the world's "most prestigious tournament, Wimbledon is also a showcase for tennis clothing." Amateurs "want to wear what the pros wear, but manufacturers started getting too colorful. So the All-England Club cracked down" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 7/2).
ABSENT BY DESIGN? In N.Y., Vanessa Friedman asks given the "amount of excitement fashion is professing about that great new maybe-huge market known as 'activewear,'" why is Stella McCartney currently the "only catwalk designer represented on Center Court?" If a brand "wanted to demonstrate its seriousness about the sporting sector, hooking up with a tennis player would seem an obvious step." Yet in the "many discussions of fashion before and during the current Wimbledon tournament," top design names are "notably absent -- from the court at least." They are "in the umpire seat and on the sidelines, thanks to the uniforms created by Ralph Lauren as the official outfitter." But the Ralph Lauren team said that designing apparel for tennis players during play "simply wasn’t a priority, as they had a strong court presence already" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/3). Meanwhile, USA TODAY's Chris Chase lists his 13 "biggest Wimbledon fashion hits and misses" (USATODAY.com, 7/2).
