Recently I started to play tennis one or two afternoons a week. At first I just focused on sending the ball over the net, but now I follow local events and then switch to the Australian Open, only to realize that the whole city is talking about tennis. This “tennis moment” that spreads from the court to the streets not only brings more people to the court, but also quietly changes the way everyone looks at sports and fashion.
At this year’s BOC Hong Kong Tennis Open, Huang Zelin (Coleman) reached the quarterfinals at home, becoming the first Hong Kong representative to win a wave in men’s singles in the history of the tournament. His breakthrough on the ATP Tour also put Hong Kong men’s tennis on the international map. Equally eye-catching is his appearance on the court: Polo made of functional materials that are slim but not deliberately close to the body, neatly cut shorts, and sneakers and wristbands with low-key colors. The young athlete’s sense of power is condensed into a clean, practical but not exaggerated sports elegance.
The reason why Coleman’s image is attractive is that he does not rely on eye-catching patterns, but speaks with proportion and tailoring: the top is slightly longer than the waistline, and the shorts end at the middle of the thigh, elongating his 191cm figure while retaining enough room for movement. This “quiet professionalism” is exactly the embodiment of the popular Old Money temperament in recent years on the sports field.
If Coleman represents a new generation of local athletes, then Jay Chou, who made a “guest appearance” at the Australian Open, turned tennis into a pop culture event. This year’s Australian Tennis Open specially set up a one-point decider “One Point Slam” session, and invited Jay Chou to enter as a player. Although he lost the right to serve due to the rules and failed to successfully return the first ball, it is a cross-border humor and courage to be on the same court with professional players on such an international stage.
Of course, the eye quickly fell on his look: a dark sports top paired with shorts, and a lightweight windbreaker style jacket. The overall tone is black and dark blue, with trim and logo as details. The most eye-catching one is a pair of Gentle Monster Lix01 sunglasses. Since he gave the same style to a little girl on the sidelines after the game, these sunglasses instantly became the most discussed Australian Open item on social platforms.
Tennis was a social sport for the upper class in the early 20th century. Early lawn tennis clubs required white clothing to create a “clean and restrained” visual effect. As a result, white tennis skirts, knitted vests, V-neck sweaters and other items gradually became the cornerstone of “Old Money Style”. The old-money style, which has become popular again in recent years, is actually a low-key way of dressing that pays attention to texture and traditional rules. Its typical elements include: ivory or cream knitted cardigan, beige windbreaker, straight POLO shirt, high-waisted pleated trousers, paired with belts and clean loafers. The overall color palette tends to be off-white, navy blue, gray and light khaki.
The Old Money we mentioned today is an attitude of “not in a hurry to show off”: the fabric should be good and the tailoring should be suitable, but no big logo is needed. Let the clothes act like a quiet background to set off a person’s conversation and temperament. Share a few practical tips:
•Upper body: A white or light-colored POLO shirt with a firm texture, and the neckline should not be too loose. In autumn and winter, you can add a fine cold wool V-neck sweater in navy blue, dark green or burgundy.
•Lower body: High-waisted, slightly pleated knee-length skirt or nine-point trousers, which are more reserved than close-fitting sports leggings; the fabric can be cotton blended with wool or slightly shiny twill.
•Accessories: Low-key white sneakers, thin-framed sunglasses, a belt or a fine knitted sweater tied around the shoulders are enough to create the everyday illusion of “just walking out of the club”.
Rongrong Feng (Ruby)
