MELBOURNE – Iconic moment or absurd extravagance? For those in the know, Naomi Osaka‘s outfit at the Australian Open falls into the second category.
‘Dressing up like a jellyfish is not culture. It’s a costume,’ Eliza Wastcoat, a fashion analyst specialising in tennis, told CLAY.
Osaka, 28, neglected something basic on Tuesday: she entered Rod Laver Arena without her rackets or her bag.
The Japanese player made perhaps one of the most extravagant entrances to the court in tennis history when she began her walk down the tunnel with her face hidden under a white beach hat, a parasol and a bridal veil. These accessories accompanied a Nike outfit inspired by a jellyfish. She had everything except the essentials.
And although her rackets were waiting for her on her chair, that detail exposed the fragility of the whole staging, the expert explains to CLAY.
‘The over-the-top and tacky fashion choices do not do justice to the legacy of tennis aesthetics,’ she said on her Instagram account, in a video where she harshly criticised Osaka’s entrance.
‘It looked cheap, like too many concepts mixed into one. Is it beach, is it wedding, is it a water park, is it a beekeeper’s suit? No. There is no real appreciation of the sport itself here,’ Wastcoat insisted in her dialogue with CLAY.
Wastcoat considers Osaka’s appearance in Melbourne to be a tacky choice, disconnected from tennis and lacking in cultural references and context.
The fact that her opponent, Croatian Antonia Ruzic, stood in stark contrast with her simple outfit made the moment ‘even comical.’
‘It’s a shame that someone with such a big platform and the opportunity to work with incredible designers chooses that path and can’t find a way to reconnect it with tennis,’ said “Liza West”.
‘This isn’t a red carpet, it’s not a catwalk: it’s a sport.’
Aryna Sabalenka referred to the issue in a politically correct tone: ‘Fashion is a beautiful thing where you can express yourself without being judged. This is perfect for her and her personality. I would make a special entrance, but my style would be different.’
Nike has not allowed the Belarusian to have her own designs or a personal line, even though she constantly suggests ideas. That’s why watching Osaka’s presentation on television probably made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
‘Fans are frustrated that the world number ones are not treated the same. That doesn’t mean Naomi hasn’t earned her place, she clearly has. She’s a four-time Grand Slam champion, she’s a great tennis player, but she’s at a different stage in her career. That’s the truth,’ added Wastcoat.
