If the races is a nightclub, the tennis is a long lunch with spectators in silk dresses, sneakers and tailored shortsSomething is happening sartorially at the Australian Open.In addition to the on-and-off-court partnerships with some of the world’s most recognisable fashion brands – Rolex, Louis Vuitton and Polo Ralph Lauren – Melbourne Park visitors are dressing up.The men are in tailored knee length shorts, leather loafers and softly textured button-downs.The women are in pretty mid-to-ankle length dresses and sneakers or flat sandals.While the crowd’s look at the country’s biggest sporting event (the organisers expect it to inject more than $600m into the economy) is undeniably preppy – plenty of jumpers are tied around shoulders and T-shirts are tucked into high waisted trousers – the energy is decidedly more inclusive than a cordoned off country-club.

Even though almost everyone looks like if you threw them a racket they’d happily take to court.“The fashion is so much more elevated than it has ever been,” says interior designer Georgina Jeffries who attends the Australian Open every year.“All of the events, the things you can do here and the hospitality on offer has advanced it enormously.It has elevated the crowd as well.”This elevation didn’t happen by accident.

Over years, Tennis Australia’s chief executive, Craig Tiley, has deliberately leant into the “festivalisation” of the event to attract bigger crowds.It is working, this year attendance has been record-breaking with, on average, 100,000 people walking through the gates each of the first five days.The crowd is buzzing and social, as though tennis is an appetiser to lounging in large groups outside the courts, eating burgers from Shake Shack (a special US export) while sipping on Aperol spritzers (a partner) and networking (flirting).Jeffries’ outfit – a cream, mid-length dress with a black knit tied around her waist and mesh Mary-Jane ballet flats – captures the mood.It’s 1990s New York City style icon Carolyn Bessette Kennedy coded, but with less of the elitism often associated with east coast US Wasps.

When I approach Jeffries, who lives in Lorne, and Sian Redgrave, they have the happy energy of friends at a barbecue.In a nod to tennis’s signature colour, Redgrave is wearing all white (a popular choice): jeans and a shirt over a singlet, accessorised with a black leather belt and fishermen’s sandals.“It’s the merger of fashion and sport,” says Redgrave, a chef from Sydney.“People are definitely dressing up more.It’s really an event, which is nice for Australia.

”This merger has been pushed for, and capitalised on, by local and international designers.Luxury brand Gucci, whose ambassadors include top-ranked players Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, hosted an influencer dinner before the tournament.Sport brand Reebok launched a new collection with a campaign fronted by Mia Hewitt and India Rafter, daughters of Australian tennis greats Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter.Local designer Viktoria & Woods teamed up with US tennis brand Wilson on a pop-up at the brand’s Emporium boutique.Another local designer Henne has dressed tennis WAGs Paige Lorenze and Sophia Sinacola.

The cosmetic conglomerate Mecca has a three story, hot pink retail activation on site.It’s hard not to draw a comparison to the scene at the Spring Racing Carnival, where poured-on polyester cocktail dresses are chosen over high-waisted cotton shorts, and stilettos are favoured over sneakers (notably the members’ enclosure rules prohibit above the knee shorts and sports shoes).Despite once being a premier event, horse racing has seen its cultural cache plummet.Racing Victoria has reported a $20m loss over two years and its attendance numbers pale in comparison with the tennis.In 2025 286,746 people attended the four-day event.

Before this year’s Open had even begun 217,999 people had shown up to watch qualifying matches.But perhaps the decline in relevance is most notable across its major sponsorships.Despite having once been considered an event on the fashion calendar and a boom time for retail, not a single fashion brand has an official relationship with the Spring Racing Carnival.In terms of appeal, if the races is a nightclub, the tennis is a long lunch.There are no heels slowly sinking into the grass.

No fake-tanned shoulders shivering in the unpredictable weather.No one is being turned away for not wearing a tie.The fabrics are breathable, the styling has layers, the trousers are tailored, the shoes are sensible.There is still a spectrum of dressiness: T-shirts, cargo shorts, Birkenstocks and caps do not feel out of place beside linen shirts, silk dresses and light-weight blazers.“The tennis is good because it brings everyone together,” says Freya Lewis, a fashion student from Melbourne.

“There’s no specific dress code, so it gives people free rein to express themselves.You don’t have to be super fancy; you can be a bit more casual, more chic.”Lewis is wearing a pale blue, floor length dress with comfortable shoes – a pairing that could be the look of the fortnight based on a similar outfit from two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka (who unfortunately withdrew last week).She walked on to the court for her first-round match wearing an ensemble created in collaboration with Nike and designer Robert Wun that became a talking point around the world.Inspired by a butterfly that landed on her face during a match at the 2021 tournament (which she went on to win), the long, floaty pleated skirt layered with her tennis-dress was accessorised with a wide brimmed hat draped in a veil, a parasol and of course, sneakers.