Naomi Osaka serves coquette with a brat update at the US Open

Bows and frills are the heart and soul of the coquette aesthetic. And just when we thought we were done with it, Naomi Osaka gave the popular trend a brand new face at the US Open court. The Japanese tennis star, who returned to the tournament after 2022, walked onto the Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York in an outfit that nailed two trends in one go (well two, if we're considering the outfit change). 

The athlete dressed in a white warm-up jacket with a tennis ball zipper and a vibrant brat green ruffle skirt that featured layers of tulle and a large brat green bow at the back. But that wasn’t all. As she got into the zone, Osaka donned a green cap, Beats headphones, and her Nike Zoom GP Challenge 1 shoes that had a green bow on the back heel. 

Osaka managed to defeat Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 6-2 in her first-round match, but that wasn't the only thing reporters wanted to talk about. “I definitely love to be involved in everything I do, whether it's fashion or anything else. But I feel like being able to be a part of my tennis outfits gives me, I would say, a different strength,” Osaka said after her first-round victory. “Especially the US Open outfits, I feel like they are a little bit more flamboyant. When I was putting on my outfit today, I was, like, ah, I hope this isn't too much! Because I had the tutu and then I had the bow jacket and it was green, I feel like everyone was staring at me funny. And then I put the headphones on, that was a real killer. I was, like, you know what, embrace this maximalist style. I think for me, when I put on the outfit it's almost like a super suit, so I try to channel that.”

Even after removing the jacket and ruffle skirt, Osaka stayed true to the aesthetic, revealing a four-tiered ruffled green tennis dress, complete with a white bow at the back waist and bows on both shoes. Even her Boat headphones were adorned with ruffles and bows reflecting the athlete's commitment to bringing out the trend. 

Designed by Yoon Ahn, co-founder of the Tokyo label Ambush and a Nike collaborator since 2018, the outfit pays homage to Tokyo's iconic district known for its street art and fashion. Osaka said, “It’s based on Japanese and Harajuku culture.” 

“Designing is an exercise of listening and imagining the story the athlete wants to tell. And this one is for Naomi Osaka’s personal journey,” Ahn shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

All images credit: Getty Images

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