Spring Trend: Tennis Sweaters

Sporty looks are in for spring 2007. Whether your style is athletic or slightly downtown, more relaxed trends are coming back after seasons of tighter suits and drainpipe trousers.

Take the tennis sweater, for example. Tennis sweaters usually a wide rib or cable knit with a contrasting accent of color found around the neck, cuffs, and waist. Using the usual shape with a twist, designers have brought back the tennis sweater and all its trappings.

On the runway, we saw the tennis sweater paired with typical whites as well as more surprising combinations like natural linen blends and soft cotton fabrics. Rumpled, slouchy looks are matched against tennis sweaters for a true contrast and a very interesting wardrobe for mid-year 2007.

Michael Bastion
Michael Bastion spent five years as the Fashion Director for Bergdorf Goodman, and his most recent collection combines successful sports looks of both the 1980s and 1960s. Bastion’s blend of casual and formal is exactly what we expect from looks in spring and summer 2007. Tennis sweaters have a slimmed-down shape in contrast with the more relaxed fit shorts in his collections. Tennis sweaters from Bastion have a cool graphic design that look good when worn with flat front twill shorts.

Veronique Branquinho
Veronique Branquinho’s designs are also classic tennis sweater styles for spring. The latest Branquinho collection uses white, light blue, and tan to set off tennis cuts and designs. Worn with slightly larger trousers and white driving mocs, you’ll be ready to practice your backhand in the sunshine.

Dirk Schonberger
Dirk Schonberger’s tennis sweaters are available in bright colors in a combination of tennis sweaters with a hint of the traditional fisherman neckline, which has a larger collar and a more shallow v-neck. If you like your sweaters less preppy, then Dirk’s interpretation is perfect for spring 2007.

Missoni
Missoni morphs the classic tennis sweater into a completely modern and trendy choice for late summer 2007. Intensely vibrant blue and green chevron stripes take the usual shape of tennis sweaters to a new level. If you crave electrifying colors but you want to flatter your shape, Missoni sweaters are an interesting choice for the tennis sweater trend this 2007.

How to Wear the Look

Tennis sweaters are great for lots of different occasions, which is what makes them such an attractive option for spring. V-necks can be worn with many different items in your wardrobe, so stock up on both plain and more decorative designs to be worn with shorts and trousers. Wear a solid colored tennis sweater underneath a blazer for a slightly more formal event, or choose a striped tennis sweater with cargo pants and jeans to dress it down a touch.

Take your choice of the original tennis sweaters if you’re new to the trend, or branch out with some of the newer innovative designs to update your collection this spring.