If there has been a lesson in fashion to take away from the U.S. Open, it is that "there is danger in too much neon," according to a Fashion & Style section piece by Vanessa Friedman of the N.Y. TIMES. It has been a "slow creep over the last few tournaments, with fluorescent shades popping up at the Australian Open, receding slightly for the French Open and disappearing entirely in the sea of Wimbledon white." Neon has "always had a certain attraction for the extreme sports world, and bringing it to establishment events gives them a veneer of cool." Plus, it has a "New York edge." However, with Nike’s decision to "turn many of its athletes at this Open into what is effectively a 1980s-inspired rainbow of human highlighters in eye-popping yellow, black, green and pink, there’s no closing your eyes to the problem." All this neon is "such a big statement that it overshadows the actual person inside the clothes." Instead of players looking like individuals with their own styles, they "look like anonymous bodies in very bright clothes." The neon is "such a strong statement that it has even overshadowed the Adidas multicolor stained-glass prints, an evolution of the 'dazzle camouflage' pattern its athletes wore at the French Open" (NYTIMES.com, 9/6). USA TODAY's Charlotte Wilder wrote Nike’s outfits for the U.S. Open "have resembled something a highlighter exploded on in the washing machine." However, Nike "does appear to have made improvements since the last Grand Slam." The dresses they provided their sponsored women players with at Wimbledon "were much maligned by players and fans alike, given that they resembled shower curtains or nightgowns and rode up" when players tried to actually play" (USATODAY.com, 9/6).
