With the international rise of the "athleisure" trend -- meaning luxury sportswear you want to wear all day— tennis has become a reoccurring reference of choice on the Paris catwalks of late.

"Wearing sportswear on the street hasn't always come as naturally to the French as it does to North and South Americans, so the trend is only really catching on now" says Iza Dezon, a trend forecaster at Peclers Paris.

"We're seeing a general progression towards healthy lifestyle in Europe. A new generation are catching up and embracing the idea that beauty is not just exterior. The athleisure movement comes from a greater desire to show that you're taking care of yourself on the inside too, balancing your lifestyle, diet, and fitness options; embracing the idea that a woman is most beautiful when she is comfortable."

Along with Kanye West and Celine's Phoebe Philo, Parisian fashion blogger and journalist Camille Charriere has been credited with bringing back Adidas' classic Stan Smith tennis trainers. "I've always been keen to reference sportswear as part of my daywear, especially tennis," says the much-photographed Charriere.

"Stan Smiths are everywhere now, so I'm moving on to other favorite references, like tennis dresses and polo shirts. French designers like Jacquemus and Lacoste do these best," she adds.

Parisian stylist and superblogger Camille Charriere has been credited with re-launching the tennis sneaker trend along with Celine creative director Phoebe Philo and Kanye West. Now she's bringing Lacoste back to the street style crowd too. "I'm always very keen to reference sportswear as part of my daywear, because it's comfortable obviously... and looks great. I've started wearing polo shirts again."

All eyes will be on fashion's favorite sport as the French Open kicks off this week. There's unusual room for creativity at Roland-Garros, where players can wear colorful outfits not always permitted on court. At Wimbledon, players may wear no more than a single trim of color around the neckline.

The tone for the season has been set by Parisian designers playing on the courtside look. For Spring-Summer 2016, Hermes showed drop-waisted silk dresses and short jumpsuits, reinterpreting the outfits of 1920s female players with the house's typical French restraint.

And from the old guard to the new generation, Paris's young design star Simon Porte Jacquemus, who draws inspiration from childhood summers in the South of France, is known for his playfully deconstructed tennis dresses worn with white socks and sneakers.

(CNN)