{"id":7276,"date":"2016-06-29T17:07:00","date_gmt":"2016-06-29T17:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2016\/06\/29\/wardrobe-malfunction-power-pleat-causes-problems-at-wimbledon\/"},"modified":"2016-06-29T17:07:00","modified_gmt":"2016-06-29T17:07:00","slug":"wardrobe-malfunction-power-pleat-causes-problems-at-wimbledon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wardrobe-malfunction-power-pleat-causes-problems-at-wimbledon\/","title":{"rendered":"Wardrobe Malfunction: &#039;Power Pleat&#039; Causes Problems At Wimbledon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:16px\">By  <a class=\"colorbox\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/06\/29\/484005633\/wardrobe-malfunction-power-pleat-causes-problems-at-wimbledon?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports\">Rebecca Hersher<\/a><\/span>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"ftpimagefix\" style=\"float:left\"><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/06\/29\/484005633\/wardrobe-malfunction-power-pleat-causes-problems-at-wimbledon?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2016\/06\/29\/ap_16180573403272-b14842efa87e33fd71bda4a53187ceaa30da6a0c-s1100-c15.jpg\" title=\"Eugenie Bouchard of Canada returns to Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia. Bouchard says she likes the loose fit of the controversial NikeCourt Premier Slam dress.\" alt=\"Eugenie Bouchard of Canada returns to Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia. Bouchard says she likes the loose fit of the controversial NikeCourt Premier Slam dress.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Eugenie Bouchard of Canada returns to Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia. Bouchard says she likes the loose fit of the controversial NikeCourt Premier Slam dress. <strong>Alastair Grant\/AP<\/strong> <strong>hide caption<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>toggle caption<\/strong> <span>Alastair Grant\/AP<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It&#8217;s <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wimbledon.com\/en_GB\/scores\/schedule\/schedule9.html\">Day 3<\/a> of the Wimbledon tennis championships, and there&#8217;s already a controversial new star: a Nike dress.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2016\/06\/29\/ap_16179546717011_vert-c00f70cb1653407450a9e376fe27706a4543517e-s800-c15.jpg\" title=\"Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic wore the pleated tennis dress without incident in the first round of Wimbledon.\" alt=\"Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic wore the pleated tennis dress without incident in the first round of Wimbledon.\"><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic wore the pleated tennis dress without incident in the first round of Wimbledon. <strong>Tim Ireland\/AP<\/strong> <strong>hide caption<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>toggle caption<\/strong> <span>Tim Ireland\/AP<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The dress, which Nike provided to players it pays to wear its apparel, is &#8220;designed for incredible cooling and comfort,&#8221; according to the company. But some athletes are finding that the loose, short garment gets in the way of what they came to do: play aggressive tennis.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When I was serving, it was coming up, and I felt like the dress was just everywhere,&#8221; Sweden&#8217;s Rebecca Peterson <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/06\/29\/sports\/tennis\/nike-wimbledon-premier-slam-dress.html\">tells The New York Times<\/a>. She says the dress was &#8220;flying everywhere.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Peterson wore a long-sleeve shirt to hold the NikeCourt Premier Slam dress in place while she warmed up, the <em>Times<\/em> reports. Another player, Katie Boulter, tells the newspaper she wore a headband around her waist to keep the dress from flying up.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to technical concerns, the offending dress caused some analysts to wonder if it even fit Wimbledon&#8217;s <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wimbledon.com\/en_GB\/atoz\/clothing_and_equipment.html\">dress code<\/a>. The code is pretty simple, if highly specific: Basically, there are no colors allowed. In fact, each of the tournament&#8217;s 10 dress code rules includes a detail about just how white players&#8217; outfits must be, including:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>2)<\/strong> White does not include off white or cream.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>And:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>9)<\/strong> Any undergarments that either are or can be visible during play (including due to perspiration) must also be completely white except for a single trim of colour no wider than one centimetre (10mm). In addition, common standards of decency are required at all times.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Nike&#8217;s supershort pleat-tastic dress is definitely white, but it has a potentially indecent habit of flying up, particularly when players serve the ball, exposing midriffs and skintight white spandex shorts.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2016\/06\/29\/ap_16180459467820-21217a9649d4fbafc7a9de4aa734cd2b41ce7788-s800-c15.jpg\" title=\"Serena Williams of the U.S celebrates a point during a match at Wimbledon. Her pleated Nike skirt was designed specifically for her.\" alt=\"Serena Williams of the U.S celebrates a point during a match at Wimbledon. Her pleated Nike skirt was designed specifically for her.\"><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Serena Williams of the U.S celebrates a point during a match at Wimbledon. Her pleated Nike skirt was designed specifically for her. <strong>Ben Curtis\/AP<\/strong> <strong>hide caption<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>toggle caption<\/strong> <span>Ben Curtis\/AP<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Although the dress was deemed appropriate by Wimbledon officials, at least initially, <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/sportsnews\/article-3655172\/Nike-flap-skimpy-Wimbledon-kit-sportswear-giant-recalls-tennis-dresses.html\">The Daily Mail reported<\/a> that during qualifying rounds last week, athletes wearing it were asked to bring their dresses in for an alteration &#8220;per Wimbledon rules.&#8221; According to the <em>Mail<\/em>, side slits on the dress were sewn shut to prevent the dress from flying up so easily.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the controversy, Nike has defended the design. In an <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/news.nike.com\/news\/nike-court-looks-london-2016\">advertisement<\/a> featuring Canadian player Eugenie Bouchard, the company said:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>&#8220;Despite the traditional aesthetic, the dress features modern design elements such as power pleats and racerback construction, which work in tandem to enable the athlete&#8217;s movement.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Bouchard, whose match against Magdalena Rybarikova was interrupted by rain Wednesday morning, says she likes the dress. The 2014 Wimbledon runner-up tweeted:<\/p>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Nikecourt\">@Nikecourt<\/a> London Collection ? <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/W14m8oaSiG\">https:\/\/t.co\/W14m8oaSiG<\/a> <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/stealtheshow?src=hash\">#stealtheshow<\/a> <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/perfectlength?src=hash\">#perfectlength<\/a> <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GV8Vzs3RCD\">pic.twitter.com\/GV8Vzs3RCD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/geniebouchard\/status\/746783177621049344\">June 25, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>Serena Williams, by far the most famous Nike-sponsored athlete, is not wearing the dress, although her specially designed tournament skirt does feature two tiers of pleats.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blockads.fivefilters.org\/\">Let&#8217;s block ads!<\/a><\/strong> <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/fivefilters\/block-ads\/wiki\/There-are-no-acceptable-ads\">(Why?)<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Source:: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/06\/29\/484005633\/wardrobe-malfunction-power-pleat-causes-problems-at-wimbledon?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports\" class=\"colorbox\" title=\"Wardrobe Malfunction: &#039;Power Pleat&#039; Causes Problems At Wimbledon\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/06\/29\/484005633\/wardrobe-malfunction-power-pleat-causes-problems-at-wimbledon?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ftpimagefix\" style=\"float:left\"><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/06\/29\/484005633\/wardrobe-malfunction-power-pleat-causes-problems-at-wimbledon?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2016\/06\/29\/ap_16180573403272-b14842efa87e33fd71bda4a53187ceaa30da6a0c-s1100-c15.jpg\" title=\"Eugenie Bouchard of Canada returns to Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia. Bouchard says she likes the loose fit of the controversial NikeCourt Premier Slam dress.\" alt=\"Eugenie Bouchard of Canada returns to Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia. Bouchard says she likes the loose fit of the controversial NikeCourt Premier Slam dress.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Eugenie Bouchard of Canada returns to Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia. Bouchard says she likes the loose fit of the controversial NikeCourt Premier Slam dress. <strong>Alastair Grant\/AP<\/strong> <strong>hide caption<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>toggle caption<\/strong> <span>Alastair Grant\/AP<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It&#8217;s <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wimbledon.com\/en_GB\/scores\/schedule\/schedule9.html\">Day 3<\/a> of the Wimbledon tennis championships, and there&#8217;s already a controversial new star: a Nike dress.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2016\/06\/29\/ap_16179546717011_vert-c00f70cb1653407450a9e376fe27706a4543517e-s800-c15.jpg\" title=\"Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic wore the pleated tennis dress without incident in the first round of Wimbledon.\" alt=\"Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic wore the pleated tennis dress without incident in the first round of Wimbledon.\"><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic wore the pleated tennis dress without incident in the first round of Wimbledon. <strong>Tim Ireland\/AP<\/strong> <strong>hide caption<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>toggle caption<\/strong> <span>Tim Ireland\/AP<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The dress, which Nike provided to players it pays to wear its apparel, is &#8220;designed for incredible cooling and comfort,&#8221; according to the company. But some athletes are finding that the loose, short garment gets in the way of what they came to do: play aggressive tennis.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When I was serving, it was coming up, and I felt like the dress was just everywhere,&#8221; Sweden&#8217;s Rebecca Peterson <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/06\/29\/sports\/tennis\/nike-wimbledon-premier-slam-dress.html\">tells The New York Times<\/a>. She says the dress was &#8220;flying everywhere.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Peterson wore a long-sleeve shirt to hold the NikeCourt Premier Slam dress in place while she warmed up, the <em>Times<\/em> reports. Another player, Katie Boulter, tells the newspaper she wore a headband around her waist to keep the dress from flying up.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to technical concerns, the offending dress caused some analysts to wonder if it even fit Wimbledon&#8217;s <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wimbledon.com\/en_GB\/atoz\/clothing_and_equipment.html\">dress code<\/a>. The code is pretty simple, if highly specific: Basically, there are no colors allowed. In fact, each of the tournament&#8217;s 10 dress code rules includes a detail about just how white players&#8217; outfits must be, including:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>2)<\/strong> White does not include off white or cream.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>And:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>9)<\/strong> Any undergarments that either are or can be visible during play (including due to perspiration) must also be completely white except for a single trim of colour no wider than one centimetre (10mm). In addition, common standards of decency are required at all times.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Nike&#8217;s supershort pleat-tastic dress is definitely white, but it has a potentially indecent habit of flying up, particularly when players serve the ball, exposing midriffs and skintight white spandex shorts.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2016\/06\/29\/ap_16180459467820-21217a9649d4fbafc7a9de4aa734cd2b41ce7788-s800-c15.jpg\" title=\"Serena Williams of the U.S celebrates a point during a match at Wimbledon. Her pleated Nike skirt was designed specifically for her.\" alt=\"Serena Williams of the U.S celebrates a point during a match at Wimbledon. Her pleated Nike skirt was designed specifically for her.\"><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Serena Williams of the U.S celebrates a point during a match at Wimbledon. Her pleated Nike skirt was designed specifically for her. <strong>Ben Curtis\/AP<\/strong> <strong>hide caption<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>toggle caption<\/strong> <span>Ben Curtis\/AP<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Although the dress was deemed appropriate by Wimbledon officials, at least initially, <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/sportsnews\/article-3655172\/Nike-flap-skimpy-Wimbledon-kit-sportswear-giant-recalls-tennis-dresses.html\">The Daily Mail reported<\/a> that during qualifying rounds last week, athletes wearing it were asked to bring their dresses in for an alteration &#8220;per Wimbledon rules.&#8221; According to the <em>Mail<\/em>, side slits on the dress were sewn shut to prevent the dress from flying up so easily.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the controversy, Nike has defended the design. In an <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/news.nike.com\/news\/nike-court-looks-london-2016\">advertisement<\/a> featuring Canadian player Eugenie Bouchard, the company said:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>&#8220;Despite the traditional aesthetic, the dress features modern design elements such as power pleats and racerback construction, which work in tandem to enable the athlete&#8217;s movement.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Bouchard, whose match against Magdalena Rybarikova was interrupted by rain Wednesday morning, says she likes the dress. The 2014 Wimbledon runner-up tweeted:<\/p>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Nikecourt\">@Nikecourt<\/a> London Collection ? <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/W14m8oaSiG\">https:\/\/t.co\/W14m8oaSiG<\/a> <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/stealtheshow?src=hash\">#stealtheshow<\/a> <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/perfectlength?src=hash\">#perfectlength<\/a> <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GV8Vzs3RCD\">pic.twitter.com\/GV8Vzs3RCD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/geniebouchard\/status\/746783177621049344\">June 25, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>Serena Williams, by far the most famous Nike-sponsored athlete, is not wearing the dress, although her specially designed tournament skirt does feature two tiers of pleats.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blockads.fivefilters.org\/\">Let&#8217;s block ads!<\/a><\/strong> <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/fivefilters\/block-ads\/wiki\/There-are-no-acceptable-ads\">(Why?)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[221],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7276"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7276\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}