Fashion patrol: Clothes/shoes

F

ferrari_827

Professional
I was looking in the clothes/shoes section on this forum and was tickled that alot of the posters here wear these expensive tennis shoes.

I may be a racket snob, but I'm totally blue collar when it comes to tennis shoes and clothes.

My tennis shoes ? $35 shoes from Payless Shoe Store or Sears/JC Penneys. Wouldn't dream of buying these $100+ tennis shoes.

Clothes ? Plain gym shorts and T-shirt (dark colors) or cut-off shirt Moya style.

And no fancy tennis bags, towels, drink dispensers, sweat bands, head bands, etc., etc.

So I show up in this attire, clothes, and loud Yonex racket at my tennis facility where people wear traditional whites and play Wilson/Prince/Head and irritate the hell of them. #1 complaint: Why do you have to hit the **** out of the ball like that ??

Life is good.
 
I use the Barricade IIs which are very fairly priced for $79.99 at TW for shoes of their caliber. Of course, there will be some on here who will buy the $120.00 Adidas A3 Accelerate.
 
ferrari_827 said:
My tennis shoes ? $35 shoes from Payless Shoe Store or Sears/JC Penneys. Wouldn't dream of buying these $100+ tennis shoes.
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Clothes are your perogative, but I'll defend shoes. I've played in cheaper shoes and they just don't compare to the fit, materials, and cushioning of the more expensive shoes. Cheap shoes always seem to be stiff to me, don't fit my feet well, and hardly offer any cushioning. The last pair of Nike's I had ($80) were like walking on pillows of air, so comfy. The cheap Lottos I have now are nowhere near as good, and my back can feel it.

Wear what you want on clothes, but clubs are particularly snobby about that. I wear the new Dri-Fit type clothes because I think they're superior in every respect to "regular" cotton gym shorts and t-shirts. I played for years with "regular" stuff but think the new stuff is far superior.

Do what you will, but I just think some of the specialized stuff is better.
 
Ditto Craig ! Shoes are up there with the racket you choose & dri-fit is there ! It wears like iron.
 
I do make sure that my tennis shoes have thick soles, even if they inexpensive, otherwise they tend to wear through quickly from tennis.

I'm sure that you get better quality shoes and clothes from the specialized tennis brands, but at a somewhat steep price. It's OK, I'm never going to be part of "the club" anyway, and I'd probably have to switch to a Wilson/Head racket.
 
Kirko said:
Ditto Craig ! Shoes are up there with the racket you choose & dri-fit is there ! It wears like iron.
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Kirko, dead on right about the Dri-Fit. I used to go through t-shirts like crazy, they wouldn't last long--one good sweat and the neck is all out of whack and the fabric is stained. Dri-Fit just rocks... never wears out and it gets rid of sweat like crazy. I won't wear anything else--it even makes a great undershirt below a long-sleeve T in cold weather. Keeps you warmer b/c the sweat doesn't pile up in the shirt and sit on your skin.
 
Truly ! I have some dri-fit over 3 yrs. old still going strong even after washing it hot water and over drying in the dryer.
 
ferrari_827 said:
I may be a racket snob, but I'm totally blue collar when it comes to tennis shoes and clothes.

My tennis shoes ? $35 shoes from Payless Shoe Store or Sears/JC Penneys. Wouldn't dream of buying these $100+ tennis shoes.
QUOTE]

if you play hard and are interested in reaching your full potential i think you've got to be out there with the right equipment--that goes for any sport. you don't have to buy the most expensive or fancy products, but using tennis-appropriate shoes can do a lot to keep you from getting injured and will reduce stress on your back, knees and feet (keeping you on the court and playing longer).
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ferrari, I can totally relate to what you say. I have a pair of babolat PDs and I wear these long basket ball shorts and all kinds of free t-shirt handouts I received in college. But I wear out my shoes really quickly because I drag my feet during my serve, so I get toe holes. Ive invested in a pair of Nike Air Resolves with the 6 month outsole guarantee... They are definitely worth the $75 I paid for them
 
I use to wear cheap shoes in the $20-30 range all the time. That was fine when I was playing once a week. Once I started taking tennis seriously and playing 3-4 times week, those cheapo shoes didn't hold up. I started getting foot and knee pains. The support and stability are just not there with cheapo shoes. Sure when I was a teenager I probably would not have been a problem but now I am in my 30s it is a problem.

The thing is you can get very good shoes when they go on sale in the $40-50 range. If you get older models and closeouts, you won't have to spend a fortune. If you wait for 6 months you probably will be able to get some barricade 2s for $50. I have already seen them advertised at $67.
 
Wow, this is interesting. Lots of people with different opinions. But what it really boils down to is your personal taste/opinion. If you are a very hardcore player (such as myself), the shoes/apperal matters nearly as much as racquets and strings. But if you're just a recreational player, it doesn't really make a difference.

Personally, I wear two different types of shoes. I use Barricade II or III for hard court, and the ancient Fila Axilus for clay. Why the Axilus? Because it's light, comfortable, and out-performs many of the newer shoes available. Too bad it's going out of production :(
 
For usual play, I just wear a plain cotton t-shirt, tennis shorts, Nike crew socks, and a pair of Barricade IIIs with Sorbothane insoles.
 
A lot of other sports refer to the better equipment as "technical", skiing, mtn. climbing, etc. I personally think equipment makes a difference. Shoes and racket, in particular. Clothes are maybe a little different but if money is not the real issue, I would prefer to have the latest improvement in all of it. The first time I wore the dri fit material at my club, I was about laughed off the courts. Now they all wear it. The cotton tees get a little heavy and wet in July in South Carolina. But, as has been said, to each his own.
 
When you pay $120 for your Barricades 3, you are paying for the good looking shoe (one of the best looking today), the brand and all the pro's using that shoe today. I have never payed full price for my tennis shoes - it is a rip off in my opinion. Oscillates were $80 and after that I have never payed more than $50 for my shoes. I always wait for something to get discontinued and then buy those shoes. Same goes for the shirts and shorts.

Latest technology doesn't mean squat. New racquet technologies are available every 2 years from every company, yet almost every pro uses paintjobs and no one plays with these new revolutionary technologies.

Same goes for the shoes. If they were available today, half of us here would be wearing Oscillates, even though Nike has gone through at least 3 generations and countless "improvements" in their shoe technology.

I don't wear cotton since it never gets rid of the sweat. But paying $40 for a Dri-Fit or Clima-Cool shirt? Not when polyester shirts can be had for around $10.

My only poison is the blasted Thorlos. I am a big guy and playing with regular socks really does a number on my feet. With Thorlos I am yet to feel any foot pain.
 
haha

i love these guys that play in all this "cheap" gear and i play in nicer shoes and clothes that i practically paid the same price for.

i know that sounds like a snob, but i hated as a player when people would ask about my dri-fit shirts and nice shoes and wonder why i spend so much. truth is, i don't. there are outlets out there, and TW does have a liquidation center. deals are out there just look. i mean playdry and dri-fit are amazing. as a kid i bought a nike dri-fit agassi polo. 12 years later i still wear it to play tennis. i bought it for 30 bucks at an outlet. dri-fit is durable and so comfortable. even my stingy friends have given in and look for dri-fit deals for their golf gear.

tennis shoes? never full price. wait a year and you can get GREAT nike shoes for 30 bucks less. i'm a huge basketball sneaker fan and have an enormous collection of Jordan's. considering jordan prices, 100 bucks for brand new tennis shoes does seem cheap to me. of course tennis shoes go through alot worse than b-ball shoes.
 
Clothing I will go with random t-shirts like one of mine says "Good Nutrition" on it and its for like some vitamin pills and some tennis shorts. But shoes, I definitely won't go for the payless shoes. It's dangerous to be running around and making abrupt turns in non-tennis shoes.
 
ferrari_827, the reason you are dressing poorly is because you do not know how to shop, not because you can't afford quality tennis clothes.

here's goobers triple threat plan on how to shop on a budget.

1. Internet- check TW liquidation page and other tennis websites "specials" and clearances. IMO you can get a decent deal but not the best deals this way.

2. Check outlet stores for Nike, Reebok, and addidas. Wait till they have there own sales and their already cheap prices will be cheaper.

3.Check stores like Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx. Also check out Sporting goods store when they have clearance sales.

#1 rule of thumb, if there is not a good deal don't buy. This requires some patience since you may go into these stores several times before you find a good deal.

Here are some of the best deals I have procured over the last 2 years.

New Balance tennis shirt- $3 - yes $3. My tennis partner actually complimented me on this shirt but I didn't have the heart to tell him that it probably cost less than half of what his cotton t-shirt he was wearing cost. :)

Head Tennis shorts- $4
Head collared polo tennis shirt- $5
Nike Dry fit tennis shirt- $8
Nike Dry fit shorts- $9
Nike Sphere polo shirt (retails for about $45)- $15

What are the downsides to this method? Well I have a mismash of tennis clothes from many different brands. You will never match as nicely as those who can afford to buy the latest tenniswear, but you will still look (and feel with proper materials) a lot better than what you are wearing now. It also takes some effort to shop but not that much.


There-now have you had a super revelation? good.... :D
 
see original poster, you may have many more racquets than many of us do, or atleast i do. also, most of my gear is either a birthday or holdiay present. im getting pumps and a shirt for my birthday etc.
 
good shoes are the most important peice of equipment (after racquets/string). like many have posted earlier, get good deals on good shoes by buying clearouts or older models. your knees and back will thank you for paying the extra $30 over payless shoes.
 
goober

goober. GREAT advice and tips. echoing the my same points. i agree you won' tmatch much, but then again your stuff is nicer than the "cheap" non-matchers bragging out here.

plus remember you can only use one racquet at a time. so why not spend more money on clothes?
 
Totally agree with Craig (and several others here) about the shoes - get the best you can afford because... for example, I've just got this nasty combo-injury: I've got an incredibly sore foot arch (on top of my foot, not bottom) the result of too much jarring, and while I started to mince around the court I put my back out in the match because I couldn't run with confidence.

Now I have a sore foot and a bad back.

What was I playing in? Cheap Dunlop-squidgy-no-support-crappola that cost nix at Payless Shoes (yes we have them here in Australia too).

So now I've stumped up $99AUSD for _BETTER_ (last year's model) KSwiss 7.0 shoes!
 
Sometimes you can find great deals on **** also. I usually find great deals on shoes and some tennis shirts. I've seen those regular nike tennis shirts go for about 7 bucks compared to 20 dollars regular, and dri-fit ones for about 15-20 when they are 40 regular.
 
i use nike shorts, white hanes tagless t-shirts (the ones michael jordan wears, jk haha), wilson shoes and nike socks. good enough for me
 
goober said:
If you wait for 6 months you probably will be able to get some barricade 2s for $50. I have already seen them advertised at $67.
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Well, I've been waiting for 3 years and the Barricade II's never seem to go on sale nor on clearance. It's such a popular shoe that there's really no need for shops to put them on sale and Adidas, so far, has not discontinued them so there hasn't been any clearance on these shoes. I wish they would go on clearance so I could pick up a few pairs but I don't think Adidas is going to discontinue this shoe anytime soon. If they did, a lot of people would get really upset. Oh well, 3 years and counting......:(
 
BreakPoint said:
Well, I've been waiting for 3 years and the Barricade II's never seem to go on sale nor on clearance. It's such a popular shoe that there's really no need for shops to put them on sale and Adidas, so far, has not discontinued them so there hasn't been any clearance on these shoes. I wish they would go on clearance so I could pick up a few pairs but I don't think Adidas is going to discontinue this shoe anytime soon. If they did, a lot of people would get really upset. Oh well, 3 years and counting......:(
Click to expand...

Well maybe the BIIs were not the best example since I didn't realize that they are not being discontinued with the advent of the BIIIs. But there are certainly other mid to high level shoes that you can get on a pretty good discount now or even a better one in 6-12 months such as the Figjams, Viper IIs and others.
 
goober said:
New Balance tennis shirt- $3 - yes $3. My tennis partner actually complimented me on this shirt but I didn't have the heart to tell him that it probably cost less than half of what his cotton t-shirt he was wearing cost. :)

Head Tennis shorts- $4
Head collared polo tennis shirt- $5
Nike Dry fit tennis shirt- $8
Nike Dry fit shorts- $9
Nike Sphere polo shirt (retails for about $45)- $15
Click to expand...

Hey goober,
Was that New Balance shirt the light blue polo made of polyester? If so, I remember seeing it for $14.99 at a discount store (which I can't name here), and then it went on clearance for like $11. Never thought it would ever go down to $3! I also see stuff go on clearance for low prices but they're usually for unpopular sizes which is why the stores were not able to sell them at full price. Do you wear like a size XXL or something?

BTW, where did you see Barricade II's for $67? Do not name the store here since it might get this thread deleted. Just say if it was an athletic shoe store, general shoe store, pro shop, discount store, department store, auction website, or Internet store? Just curious since they rarely go on sale anywhere I've seen.
 
BreakPoint said:
Hey goober,
Was that New Balance shirt the light blue polo made of polyester? If so, I remember seeing it for $14.99 at a discount store (which I can't name here), and then it went on clearance for like $11. Never thought it would ever go down to $3! I also see stuff go on clearance for low prices but they're usually for unpopular sizes which is why the stores were not able to sell them at full price. Do you wear like a size XXL or something?

BTW, where did you see Barricade II's for $67? Do not name the store here since it might get this thread deleted. Just say if it was an athletic shoe store, general shoe store, pro shop, discount store, department store, auction website, or Internet store? Just curious since they rarely go on sale anywhere I've seen.
Click to expand...

I only buy polyester for tennis shirts. The new balance shirt was yellow and white. I wear Medium or small . The barricades I saw at a local sports store, not a national chain. I have seen them on the internet for $69 but ony in limited sizes.
 
Hey ferrari,

I understand that the style of clothing really doesnt matter or the bag or anything but the one thing that i think does matter is the shoes your wearing. If you got good shoes then you'll be able to move faster on the court and have better traction! Thats just my opinion.
 
*Tear* The clothes and shoes are some of the BEST parts of tennis. BUT if nothing else, go buy yourself a GOOD pair of shoes. The Payless one's aren't the same quality as the Nike's which are designed for the kind of strain your'e putting them through. You're more apt for injury (ankles/knees etc) if you're using worn out shoes.
 
I wonder

Havge any of you guys seen the shoes the pros wore in the 50's 60's and 70's. I couldn't imagine wearing some of the shoes guys like Bobby Riggs and jack Kramer wore. Some of those shoes were only slightly better than Converse Chuck Taylor's.
 
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