Vogue Designer Tennis Balls For US Open 2012

In honor of the US Open Tennis Championships, which started in New York on Monday, Vogue asked designers including Pamela Love, Peter Som, and Eddie Borgo to design tennis balls with elements of their signature motifs. The one-of-a-kind balls are decorated with everything from cloth flowers to rhinestones, lace, leather, and aggressive metal studs. Love shot an arrow through her design ("I have four arrow tattoos, so I thought, why not?" she says), while Som's sparkly entry takes inspiration from a diamond tennis bracelet. Dana Lorenz's Fenton ball, with brass chains and pearls, takes inspiration from Christian Lacroix and the glamorous supermodels of the '90s. A selection of our favorites from the project here in the gallery.

Photo via Vogue.