Pistol Pete Sampras Is Still the Polo Shirt Don
Wimbledon, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and by far the most prestigious, gets underway today. While most people will be preoccupied with the on-court action, for many of us at Highsnobiety, the style is every bit as important.
When talking classic tennis fashion, it's Andre Agassi — in all his neon-spandex, denim shorts glory — who gets the shine. His arch-nemesis, Pete Sampras — you know the notoriously shy, boring guy who doesn't tip waiters — on the other hand, tends to fly under the radar. That shouldn't be the case. In a new IG post, close friend of HS Olly Evans from Too Hot Limited shines a light on some of Pistol Pete's best polo shirts (below) when he was still playing in Sergio Tacchini back in his early days. Sampras, of course, would eventually sign with Nike (that deal came to an end in 2012), but not before serving up some fire looks with the less-heralded Italian label. Check out those classic designs!
While Nike embraced its wild child, giving Agassi with his own line, Challenge Court, Sampras became the face of Nike's transformed Nike Court. Sergio Tacchini, meanwhile, is still going strong, and was most notably the supplier of Novak Djokovic before he upped sticks for Uniqlo and then Lacoste. Away from tennis, it remains a popular label in the UK, having been a staple of the casual scene since the '80s.
Given Wimbledon's notoriously strict all-white dress code (who remembers the time they almost banned Federer for wearing orange-soled sneakers?), it remains to be seen if Sampras would get away with such gear in the current day. Still, with the polo shirt having a bit of a moment right now, the big-serving American offers up a reminder that there are plenty of hidden gems to be found on the secondary market. Check out some of Evans' best vintage bits here, and find some alternative polos below.
