If the races is a nightclub, the tennis is a long lunch with spectators in silk dresses, sneakers and tailored shorts
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omething is happening sartorially at the Australian Open. In addition to the on-and-off-court partnerships with some of the world’s most recognisable fashion brands – Rolex, Louis Vuitton and Polo Ralph Lauren – Melbourne Park visitors are dressing up.
The men are in tailored knee length shorts, leather loafers and softly textured button-downs. The women are in pretty mid-to-ankle length dresses and sneakers or flat sandals. While the crowd’s look at the country’s biggest sporting event (the organisers expect it to inject more than $600m into the economy) is undeniably preppy – plenty of jumpers are tied around shoulders and T-shirts are tucked into high waisted trousers – the energy is decidedly more inclusive than a cordoned off country-club. Even though almost everyone looks like if you threw them a racket they’d happily take to court.
“The fashion is so much more elevated than it has ever been,” says interior designer Georgina Jeffries who attends the Australian Open every year. “All of the events, the things you can do here and the hospitality on offer has advanced it enormously. It has elevated the crowd as well.”
