Tennis star arrives in Gaga-esque outfit
Bethanie Mattek-Sands told Busted Racquet last week that she had a fashion surprise in store at Wimbledon. Did she ever. The 31st-ranked American walked onto Court 14 on Wednesday for her first-round match wearing a white bolero jacket festooned with spikes and cutouts of white tennis balls. The piece was designed by Alex Noble, who works with Lady Gaga and designed Mattek-Sands' memorable yellow dress for the Wimbledon player's party.
There's so much going on with that jacket that it's like a fashion Rorschach test; it's inspiration in the eye of the beholder. There's some Annie Oakley in it (the tassles), a few dabs of Oakland Raiders (the spikes and the eye black) and a touch of Virginia Wade (the white tennis balls which, for some reason, I associate with the 1975 Wimbledon champion). This is what a member of Gwar would wear to a Roger Federer match.