What do guys think of ellesse?

[VikingSamurai]

Here is a question.. I was curious as to what you guys think of ellesse as a brand?..

I have never been one to be too fashion conscious, and I usually like to where what isnt popular. (kinda why I have always stuck with Puma) But in saying that, I do have my fair share of Nike stuff aswell..

When I play, although I use Puma Shoes and Raquets, I dont like trying to look like a try-hard, and so deliberately wont wear all the same gear.. So I normally will wear ellesse shirts and shorts to break it up..

A friend of mine here in Japan is originally from Czech, and noticed I was wearing ellesse shorts and shirt.. He said that he thought it was a womans brand.. I then spent the next few minutes explaining Boris won his first 2 Wimbledons wearing ellesse, and Vilas also wore it, so why would he think that?..

After he made that comment, I have noticed some ellesse here in Japan, and it seems to be more for the women than the men. So I was wondering, what does everyone think when they think ellesse, and do they wear it?

 

[oscar_2424]

too fancy for me

 

[pennc94]

I am a man and I wear ellesse shorts, polos, and warm up. Love their stuff. I wish there was more available.

 

[Jet Rink]

Great brand - very well made and, I think, much more "classic" than a lot of choices out there. I love it and wish a wider line was available.

Jet

 

[KFwinds]

It was hip... in 1988...

 

[VikingSamurai]

Thanks guys.. I am more for a traditional brand also.. So have always liked it.. As for the second and 4th comments.. Thanks, I definately will wear it now.. I would hate get lost in the crowd of Nike or adidas wearers..

Cheers

 

[aroddick]

they dont make bad shirts. i do like some of their polos.

They make good stuff. I like ralph, very good ones. and nike too.

 

[goober]

They make pretty good stuff. Some of their clothes are not mositure wicking though. I have seen a lot of regular cotton tennis polos and shorts at local store. I rarely see anybody wearing it on the court.

I think it is also overpriced so I don't buy it.

 

[python]

I think of Chris Evert when I see Ellesse. Sorry.

 

[eunjam]

ellesse is very classy brand that obviously had a great marketing dept.......

see below

I think of Chris Evert when I see Ellesse. Sorry.

 

[West Coast Ace]

I think of Chris Evert when I see Ellesse. Sorry.

Correct answer.

 

[JW10S]

Ellesse has a great line of clothes that are very well tailored and made of the finest materials--and I'm not just saying that 'cause their sponsoring me this year...

 

[mctennis]

I like ellesse brand clothes. If it were pink then I'd say "yes" definately a womans brand. If not wear what fits you.

 

[movdqa]

Woman's brand. I had a friend that ran a tennis
shop and it's only something that the girls talked
about. If you look at the name, it's a soft name with
no hard syllables.

 

[StunLock]

I think ellesse is more of a woman's brand. In Asia, it was once kinda popular among girls sometime in the 90's. But brand choices vary a lot from area to area.

 

[slice bh compliment]

Ellesse's manly men:
Pat Cash wore Ellesse....pre Tacchini of course.
Guillermo Vilas wore Ellesse, post-FILA of course.
John Lloyd. Well. Never mind.

Yeah, basically, I think of Chris Evert and Hana Mandlikova.
I think Carling Bassett and Andrea Temesvari wore Ellesse?

 

[eunjam]

i would rather wear ellesse than under armour.

 

[Jet Rink]

Ellesse's manly men:
Pat Cash wore Ellesse....pre Tacchini of course.
Guillermo Vilas wore Ellesse, post-FILA of course.
John Lloyd. Well. Never mind.

Yeah, basically, I think of Chris Evert and Hana Mandlikova.
I think Carling Bassett and Andrea Temesvari wore Ellesse?

Boris Becker too.

Jet

 

[TnTBigman]

they have some nice polos. But i really like em for casual wear. especially their shoes.

 

[slice bh compliment]

Boris Becker too.

Jet

Yeah, that's right...early Boris.....before he went to FILA clothing and Diadora shoes.....then Lotto later on.

 

[Orion]

Nice, quality Italian designs. Their pieces can be worn on court and casual. I have 3 sets. I rarely wear only because I've bought so much Adidas the past year. Ellesse is definitely classic!!

 

[johnkidd]

Aaron Krickstein wore ellesse most of his career as well. I used to wear it back in the day, and would mind picking some up if I had some extra $$$$

 

[nk126]

When I was in 6th grade in the 80s, there was a "fancy tennis kid" (i.e. ranked junior from a rich family who could double bagel the rest of us with his off-hand) who always wore ellesse and fila socks and sneakers. Always thought of it as a rich kid tennis club brand.

Now that I have a job and all? Just bought an ellesse hoodie and a pair of kicks on a closeout sale I think it's cool retro-tennis stuff but probably better suited to off court wear - or at least the shoes are.

So either I'm a big hypocrite or I grew up, make my own money now, and can finally appreciate classic Italian design ...

 

[BreakPoint]

I really like the retro ellesse stuff a lot, especially the warm-up jackets from the late '70's and early 80's. I own these two, which I really like, along with some other ones:

The quality of these jackets (reissues) are very high (better than the Sergio Tacchini or Fila reissue stuff IMO).

I don't really like the modern ellesse stuff, though. A bit overpriced and the shirts fit funny on me. Don't really like the newer fabrics nor logo that they use now, either.

 

[Pro_Tour_630]

I think ellesse is more of a woman's brand. In Asia, it was once kinda popular among girls sometime in the 90's. But brand choices vary a lot from area to area.

I am offended by this post, you know, I wear ellesee and now I am doubting my own sexuality with this post ;-)

 

[StunLock]

I am offended by this post, you know, I wear ellesee and now I am doubting my own sexuality with this post ;-)

I hope GLBT people dont get offended by this =D

 

[Pro_Tour_630]

I hope GLBT people dont get offended by this =D

no it is LGBT, if I may ..... StunLock you do have a sense of humor why were you so taken by my rice joke?

 

[StunLock]

no it is LGBT, if I may ..... StunLock you do have a sense of humor why were you so taken by my rice joke?

Sorry if I overreacted, Michael Chaho : ) it's all cool now. I usually enjoy your posts and reviews as they're informative : D

 

[vitasGremembered]

Its not about what others think about you, its how you feel. If you like ellesse, wear it.

Ellesse has a fine history as discussed above. I always thought when I was a kid it was cooler than Fila simply because everyone else was following Borg and Vilas. Unfortunately I could not afford it.

Last year ellesse reissued some '80s jackets and I bought one. I was so happy and still am. I could care less if some clowns think that its a womens brand, because it never was. If you like it, go for it.

 

[Jet Rink]

Its not about what others think about you, its how you feel. If you like ellesse, wear it.

Ellesse has a fine history as discussed above... If you like it, go for it.

Good points - and THANK YOU for the great screen name. Vitas is loved and missed by many of his good friends and fans.

Jet

 

[VikingSamurai]

I really like the retro ellesse stuff a lot, especially the warm-up jackets from the late '70's and early 80's. I own these two, which I really like, along with some other ones:

The quality of these jackets (reissues) are very high (better than the Sergio Tacchini or Fila reissue stuff IMO).

I don't really like the modern ellesse stuff, though. A bit overpriced and the shirts fit funny on me. Don't really like the newer fabrics nor logo that they use now, either.

That white one is what Becker used to warm up in...

Where did you get it and how much. I want one!

 

[BreakPoint]

That white one is what Becker used to warm up in...

Where did you get it and how much. I want one!

They were released here in the U.S. for a very brief time several years ago and not available anymore anywhere.

I have a couple of extra ones in the white/blue version. Brand new with tags, never worn. If you're interested, it'll cost you, especially since you live all the way in Japan. What size do you wear in jackets?

 

[bagung]

25yrs ago, during my high school time, fila and ellesse is an exclusive brands.
i have to save 3-6 month allowance in order to buy fila borg, and ellesse .
today, they have change their marketing policy, they are not that exclusive anymore..
fila and ellesse becomes cheaper than nike and adidas.

 

[BreakPoint]

today, they have change their marketing policy, they are not that exclusive anymore..
fila and ellesse becomes cheaper than nike and adidas.

Fila, maybe, as it's more mass marketed and involved in many different sports. But I think Ellesse is still more exclusive as it's just tennis and skiing and their stuff is hard to find, sold only in pro shops (or on TW :grin: ), and are still relatively pricey.

 

[Mick]

I would rank it 4th

1. fila (with big F logo)
2. adidas lendl style
3. sergio tacchini
4. ellesse
5. Lotto
6. Lacoste

 

[Ben42]

Aaron Krickstein wore it for a whle too.

 

[retrowagen]

I like (and now wear) their stuff. It's classy. I used to be an Adidas man (from the Ivan Lendl era to the beginning of the Agassi+Adidas era), but now their stuff looks a little too odd to me. I don't want to look like a soccer player on court; I don't want to look like a basketball player, either.

I also liked the Fila line-up in the mid-90's, before they went down the basketball+hip-hop rabbithole. And yes, I can remember when a pair of Fila shorts cost USD 80.00, roundabout 1985.

A related tangent rant: why are modern tennis shoes (OK, athletic shoes in general) so terribly ugly? Functional is one thing, but it seems like the various appurtenances (stylistic, functional, or otherwise) seen on the modern shoe are positively brash and seem contrived-ugly.

 

[Colpo]

If you learned the game in the 80s, you remember Ellesse as the premier Italian brand, back when Italian brands were the only real game in town. Superb workmanship and materials, almost too good to play in. Still an excellent brand, but with seemingly little interest in going 'big' in the US market.

Note that their shirts and shorts, particularly their shorts, fit snug. I'd recommend up-sizing one size. Then, even when the clothes do fit, they're very close to the body, which for somebody coming from Nike or Adidas feels weird but looks great. This is that same 'Continental fit' that the Italian brands have always had, dating back to late 70s Fila.

 

[Heavy Metal Tennis Star]

i have one pair ellesse shorts, im too much of a nike head.

 

[Mick]

25yrs ago, during my high school time, fila and ellesse is an exclusive brands.
i have to save 3-6 month allowance in order to buy fila borg, and ellesse .
today, they have change their marketing policy, they are not that exclusive anymore..
fila and ellesse becomes cheaper than nike and adidas.

Nowadays, a serious tennis player would wear this brand

 

[Young Pete]

if u want to get in touch with your feminine side = go with elesse!

i alwayz thought it waz french..

 

[Owen0501]

I like the cut of the Ellesse tennis wear and have a couple of tennis outfits already. my only complaint is that their shorts are really short, and when you're as tall as me they're not that fetching

 

[slice bh compliment]

...
i alwayz thought it waz french..

Sounds French, yeah, and the spelling looks like it could be French. But of course French and Italian have a lot in common as do all Romance/Latin tongues.

I think the name came from someone's initials, L.S....ellesse. Probably pronounced el-LESS-seh, rather than ell-ess. But here in the US, most people say ell-ess, I think.

 

[BreakPoint]

The name "ellesse" is actually the phonetic sound of the founder's initials. The founder, Leonardo Servadio, originally used the name "L.S.", which eventually became "elle" and "sse" or "ellesse". So it should be pronounced "L.S.".

 

[retrowagen]

The name "ellesse" is actually the phonetic sound of the founder's initials. The founder, Leonardo Servadio, originally used the name "L.S.", which eventually became "elle" and "sse" or "ellesse". So it should be pronounced "L.S.".

This seems to be a common Italian sporting goods practice. Manufacturers of cycling shoes, Sidi and Duegi are two others: Sidi = C.D. and Duegi = G.G. (two G). Likewise crash helmet maker Bieffe = B.F.

Cliff Claven Trivia Mode OFF.

 

[slice bh compliment]

SO when/if my friends, Brad Stine and Bill Murdoch want to start a clothing line in Italy, they will both have to think of a different method of nomenclature.

On the other hand, Alex Corretja or would end up pretty nice with Acey.

My favorite is the way a German would pronounce Mercedes Benz' performance line .... AMG. Ah emm gay. say it fast two or three times in German. Ah emm gay....ah emm gay.

 

[ne1410is]

when i think of ellesse i too think of Chris Evert in the 80s. I also think of jennifer capriati. was she sponsored by them at one point? or maybe it was mary pierce early on. i can't remember.

 

[Mick]

i would associate the ellesse brand with Boris Becker.

 

[retrowagen]

My favorite is the way a German would pronounce Mercedes Benz' performance line .... AMG. Ah emm gay. say it fast two or three times in German. Ah emm gay....ah emm gay.

LOL.

Hans: "Wie ein echtes Cowboy gesagt!"
Günter: "Na ja, hast du Brokeback Ridge im Kino schon gesehen, oder?"

 

[BreakPoint]

i would associate the ellesse brand with Boris Becker.

I also think of Guillermo Vilas: