At each of the Slams player clothing providers introduce color and style combinations for the season… The US Open featured shades and variations of burgundy, maroon, navy, pink, red, and rust to name but a few from the palette that were on display.
Carlos Alcaraz’s “Buzz Cut” and Nike Playful Pink “Muscle Shirt” and Bordeaux shorts, along with his “Need a shave” look stood out, as did the “Designed for Naomi…” Osaka bubble attire supported by a variety of cornrow weaves and distinctive headphones.
It seems that Alcaraz’s new “Do…” was the result of his brother giving him a trim that went too far resulting in the “buzzed…” look.
Francis Tiafoe was asked about his friend’s new hair cut at a press conference. “I looked at him and was like, ‘I guess you’re aerodynamic’. Then Juan Carlos ‘Mosquito’ (Ferrero, the coach of Alcaraz) was laughing. He was like, ‘Yeah, he’s faster than he already was.’”
During the on court interview following her 6-4, 7-6 quarterfinal victory over Karolína Muchová, Osaka, mentioned that the last time they played at the 2024 Open she lost a second round contest but remembered wearing “one of my best outfits…” more than the 6-3, 7-6 defeat.
I still have a mental picture of “The Outfit…”. Designed by Yoon Ahn for Nike, it featured a black ruffled skirt/dress with a touch of white beneath…
But the huge white bow on the back of her bomber warmup jacket and the small white bows on the heels of her “Nikes” were defining.
This go round Osaka was customized for the day and the night…the lilac day attire was less striking than the majestic purple of the evening… both featured the “bubble” skirts”.
She added to her presentation with Labubu dolls hanging from her bag… Designed by Kerin Rose Gold she shrewdly named some of the creations “Althea Glitterson”, “Arthur Flashe” and “Billie Jean Bling”.
Being a long-time adidas wearer, it was strange that the always identifiable three-stripe logo had been replaced by the Y-3 design of Yohji Yamamoto featuring Japanese ink techniques and asymmetric silhouettes. It wasn’t until I watched those with adidas clothing contracts such as Felix Auger-Aliassime, Muchová and Jessica Pegula that the Y-3 became brand identifiable…
When it came to “Putting On The Dog”, Venus Williams, the 45-year-old wild card, “showroomed…” wearing outfits produced by Khaite, ERL, Pucci, Luar, Miceli, H&M and Lacoste.
Taylor Townsend was striking in her own line with the stylized “TT” logo. Working with designer Alexander John she augmented the eye catching collection she introduced at Roland Garros this spring.
Tiafoe’s lululemon outfits were all about captivating red with a variety of black stripes. Leylah Fernandez, another lululemon Brand Ambassador, wore outfits with dynamic red tops.
Probably because they weren’t “Wearable…” the bobblehead collection that debuted at the Open featuring Aryna Sabalenka, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Jasmine Paolini, Jelena Ostapenko, Tommy Paul, and Zhizhen Zhang received a little less attention…
Title photo of Naomi Osaka in her Nike crystal jacket at the 2025 US Open via Instagram