Wimbledon 2016: Nike dress causes stir but Bouchard doesn't mind

Wimbledon (Vision)When it comes to the rules about clothing at Wimbledon, it sounds so easy: stick to predominantly white.

But such a seemingly simple mandate gets designers in a tizzy. Just how do they infuse patterns or color into outfits without drawing the ire of Wimbledon's notoriously picky fashion police?

This year Nike's offering for female pros is generating plenty of discussion -- and without arguably its highest-profile female tennis athlete, Maria Sharapova, who is serving a two-year doping suspension.

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Maybe Nike planned it that way. You know the saying: any publicity is good publicity.

Entitled the "NikeCourt Premier Slam," color isn't the issue. Rather the dress draws comparisons to a short, flimsy piece of nightwear, something more appropriate for use behind closed doors than on a tennis court.

READ: How the short skirt came to be

Already leaving little to the imagination, a blast of wind -- and the weather forecast calls for 30 mph gusts Friday and Saturday -- can make the uniform even more revealing.

After players were forced to alter the dress themselves during Wimbledon qualifying last week in nearby Roehampton -- Czech Lucie Hradecka wore leggings and Britain's Katie Boulter tied a knot around her waist -- the UK's Daily Mail reported that Nike had recalled the outfits following complaints.

The newspaper said Nike had sent an email to players and agents that read: "We need to make a small change to your dresses per Wimbledon rules. Could you please bring them by the Nike Wimbledon house."

Nike, in an email sent to CNN, denied recalling the dresses although it admitted changes were needed.

"The product has not been recalled and we often customize products and make alterations for athletes as they compete," said a Nike spokesperson. "We work closely with our athletes to provide them with product that helps them perform and feel their best on the court."

Fixes to the attire that have featured during the tournament proper include sewing the sides up so they are less revealing.

But it's all a matter of taste. The 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard -- one of the sport's most marketable players despite a slump last year -- is happily donning the gear.

"I like it," Bouchard told reporters Wednesday. "I can't comment on anyone else's opinion about them. Nike comes up with some cool, modern designs.

"And it's definitely short, but that's how I like my dresses so I'm fine with it."

Madison Keys, the 2015 Australian Open semifinalist in the same young age group as the Canadian, chose a Nike outfit she has been wearing all year, but in white: A skirt and tank top.

"It was going to be an easy transition," Keys told reporters. "I haven't played in a dress for years.

"So for me it was just more about it's easy to switch into a different color instead of switching into a dress.

"They let us know it was always an option."

That option was preferred, too, by 2013 Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki.