Do you think about the purpose of what you wear? How I look often pushes and drives how I feel and when I’m on the court I want to feel like a winner. To win you have to be supported and have factors on your side that help get you in the zone for that winning attitude. For a month I hit and played matches in two contrasting outfits from two adidas spring collections. Here’s what I thought about this spring’s soft-to-the-touch apparel from the sports fashion industry leader.
Adidas Melbourne Collection
The most attractive pieces of adidas tennis apparel I own is the Women’s Essex Strappy Tank. I hit some lonely courts during humid, fast paced nights and this Glow Orange mesh tank with an integrated and padded sports bra performed well. I had my senses alert but don’t remember feeling any sweat at all. My underarms showed no dripping or moisture stains and the ClimaCool mesh was perforated enough to let the night breeze flow in and cool me down. These designs were debuted by WTA professionals Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep during the Australian Open. The tournaments contrasting colors are perfect tones on my brown body. I shined bright and felt somewhat safer in orange leaving the courts at night. The sports bra brought a perfect fit but I am petite and the XS tank was making its way past the top of my thighs. Since it was a little long on me it made the back’s flirty peep hole almost collapse. I imagine taller tennis ladies will look like globe trotting models in this!
On bottom I wore the stylishly youthful Melbourne 12 Inch Tennis Skort in Mystery Blue. I love the tribal inspired print on the inner compression shorts. It was a creative and complex print for adidas to produce. Before I always thought of them as bboy and streetwear trendsetters. The necessary balls shorts always show when we ladies have to store balls, so I’m glad adidas switched up the look and broke up the monotony with Aus open inspiration. Some days the mental focus can get too deep and fun prints can lift the mood. However, the front slit’s corner bugged me more that it cooled me off. Storing tennis balls was a little annoying because the skirts bottom layer kept getting caught in my shorts, wrapping around the ball and in between my skin. All in all though, when I combined the two items together they made a sporty and hip outfit that is pure fun paired with the Stella McCartney Barricades to clean it all up. With that tennis shoe on get ready for serious movement in your game where every step is meant to count!
Adidas Essex Collection
Adidas’ Essex collection brought bold color options and subtle prints to center court this spring. I don’t really understand the one sleeve effect of the Women’s Essex Three-Quarter–Sleeve Tee in Black but the crew neck is best for my calm and modest wardrobe. While I was playing in this I made a huge discovery about my playing habits: I NEED sleeves! Directly after working for a point, I’d stop on a dime and bring my bicep to my forehead to quickly wipe away all sweat. Even with sleeves there was great evaporation and I never once got too damp playing in the Texas sun. Off of the court, the sleeves got too tight and itched at times, but on court I really appreciated the location of the sleeve cuffs that did not restrict my swing’s reach . Through all the outfits, this unique top made my look posh and compressed, so I still liked this one more than the blue outfit.
My favorite spring adidas item out of all four I play tested was the black and beautiful Women’s Essex Shorts. The inner compression shorts and front pockets came in handy for an updated and athletic look and I was able to store up to four tennis balls at once! Muscle memory from my youth almost makes me prefer using the compression shorts as ball storage. Anyone else guilty of this trained habit? The innovative and new ball pocket was kind of a tight fit for the tennis ball. It helped me feel secure during play but I was a little slower when it came to pulling them out of my pocket – sometimes I could only achieve using two hands. These bottoms are a quality thread that I enjoy playing in as their fit is really soft and never bunches awkwardly or compresses to the point of discomfort and muscle hindrance.
Adidas tennis is a long time favorite for their consistent fit, breathability, and subtle reinventions through this year’s collection drops. We appreciate that they kept the tournament themes close to their hearts so this gear is gonna continue to stay close to our bodies!
