SPRING STYLE SPECIAL
Serena’s stylist, an epic new archive and why it’s time to embrace the neck flap.
FAN’S BEST FRIEND: THE LEGIONNAIRE HAT
Indian Wells was unusually hot this year, and with so little shade in the stands, the skin takes a battering, especially on the neck. No amount of sunscreen could protect me, so I finally came round to the idea (if not the purchase) of the Legionnaire’s hat. The style was made (in)famous by Ivan Lendl, who used to dip the neck train in ice cold water at changeovers to give him sustained heat relief. Whilst it used to be a bit of a joke, it now feels like the smartest sartorial option out there. Buying one for the hottest tournaments is no brainer, so the only question left is: do you go for the cap or bucket hat version?
Salomon Sahara Unnisex Cap £45
Fractel L-HUSK Legionnaire Running Cap £45
North Face Class V Convertible Sunshield Hat £47
ON Solar Cap SHF £75
TENNIS TREASURE TROVE
When I was out in Indian Wells, I also met the lovely photographer Bryson Malone from Marin County. That week he launched Graphite an incredible 3000+ piece tennis archive that goes beyond the obvious Borg/Fila, Nike/Agassi styles and seeks to explore the great breadth of tennis styles out there.
Not everything will be for sale sadly, but it’s all available to rent for photoshoots and design research, then Bryson will occasionally release some pieces to buy. As well as clothes, there’s a deep collection of media from 1970s ektachrome slides from unknown family tennis vacations to fashion drawings from the ‘60s. Here’s what Bryson had to tell us about his new project.
“There’s tailoring, prep and the graphic design language of small-town recreational tournaments,” Bryson told me. “It houses 1-of-1 Ted Tinling dresses, ultra-rare Omega tennis watches, Grateful Dead tennis pieces, ‘90s US Open merch, a deep selection of home goods, varsity jackets from no-name Midwest schools, and a plethora of men’s and women’s designer tailoring. While the media loves to flaunt pristine grass courts next to old clubhouses and picturesque clay courts in the alps, real tennis culture also exists at the margins. We don’t ignore the luxurious, beautiful side of the game, but we are equally interested in the Palm Springs locals who play daily at Ruth Hardy, the kids playing in jeans at Marcy playground (one of the best courts in America, complete with a chainlink fence as a net), or the recreational 3.5 doubles squad who has be meeting at their local court every Saturday morning for 30 years. These people are perhaps the biggest part of the tennis story, and their style reflects their love of the sport itself, not its cultural clout or value in a newsfeed.”
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SHORT, FRILLY & CUTE
Serena Williams’ long-time stylist isn’t sure if she’s returning to tennis, but Kesha McLeod certainly understands the assignment if the GOAT does get back on court: “Still to this day, a good tennis skirt will still get her, or something short, frilly and cute would still grab her in,” McLeod told us in a recent chat. “She’s very consistent.”
The retired Williams re-entered the sport’s drug testing pool late last year, and has recently softened her stance on a comeback. “I don’t know, everybody keeps asking me, and I’m like, ‘Where are y’all hearing this?,” McLeod said of a potential Williams comeback. “Because I don’t see it. Like, whatever y’all hear, I don’t see it.”
McLeod’s relationship with Williams goes back about 15 years, and started with a trip to a mall in Palm Springs, after the stylist jetted in for a last-minute assignment and scooped Williams up in her rented Toyota Rav-4. “We were shopping around and just doing normal stuff, and it was just so odd and surreal to me,” McLeod recalls. “But I’m like, ‘I’m here to do a job.’”
Williams – who was connected with McLeod after another stylist the latter worked with ran into the tennis star at Lebron James’ house – was a little gruff at first. But she warmed up once she learned McLeod was also working with her good friend, former NFL star Vernon Davis. The rest – from the Met Gala to the Oscars – is history. The partnership has been more than beneficial for McLeod. “Working with someone so great rubs off on you as well,” she says.
Words: Jake Nisse
TIRED OF SERVING?
Back to caps, our friends over at Serving are releasing one to celebrate their first year as London’s Queer Tennis Collective. Founder Gavin Hastings explains the slogan: “It’s a playful, tongue-in-cheek piece that captures the spirit of a community redefining sport on its own terms. Inspired by queer icon Julia Fox and her interview series exploring the idea of being “tired of serving” [in a looks and attitudinal sense], the cap reclaims the language of performance and flips it into something lighter, more self-aware, and distinctly queer. It’s a shared joke. A recognition of the pressure to perform, serve, and present, both on and off the court.”
The slogan backs Serving’s idea that tennis shouldn’t be about perfection or competition, but about showing up as you are. And 10% of profits will go to Not A Phase who support trans-led community work and advocacy.
Stuart Brumfitt
Editor