A LIFE Well Played

Story by Jeanie Edgmon

How a tennis court, a little fresh air, and a new love of the game inspired Adra Bond to create a life and a brand built around getting women outside, moving, connecting, and enjoying the things that make them feel like themselves.

Adra Bond, founded Fancy&Proper in 2025, a lifestyle brand built on the belief that women deserve to make room for the things they enjoy. For Bond, it started as tennis, an activity that offered a way to get outside and get exercise while having fun as well. What began as a personal choice quickly became something far more meaningful. Bond discovered that stepping onto a tennis court did more than give her a way to exercise. It changed her energy. It lifted her spirits. It gave her something to anticipate and a place to put her attention. She was hooked from the first moments on the courts.

FIND SOMETHING THAT GETS YOU OUT THERE
There is a particular kind of energy that comes from having something to look forward to. A tennis lesson can become a standing date. A tee time can create a few hours away from the demands of work and home. An event can bring together people who might otherwise never have crossed paths.
Regular physical activity supports physical and mental well-being, but the benefits of an active life reach beyond the time spent exercising. Moving your body, spending time outdoors, learning something new, and maintaining social connections can all contribute to a richer sense of well-being.
Bond experienced that personally through tennis. The court gave her movement, but it also gave her a reset. It offered concentration when she needed distraction, challenge when she wanted to compete, and connection when she wanted company.
That experience helped shape the woman behind Fancy&Proper.
Bond had already spent years understanding the importance of personal style. What she saw was an opportunity to bring that same attention to the clothing women wear while participating in the activities they love.
“I saw a gap. Women deserved better, better quality, better style, and a brand that speaks to who we are and how we live,” Bond says in her founding story.
The idea was never simply to create another collection of sportswear. It was to create clothing that could keep up with women while still feeling beautiful, polished, feminine, and personal.
A woman should be able to take her game seriously without taking herself too seriously. She can appreciate classic style and still want something unexpected. She can be competitive, social, sophisticated, playful, or all of those things at once.
Bond’s designs celebrate all of it unreservedly.

STYLE THAT SHOWS UP FOR THE LIFE AROUND THE GAME

That philosophy lives at the heart of Fancy&Proper. The name itself captures the balance. “Fancy” leaves room for beautiful details, personality, and a little fun. “Proper” brings polish and a sense of timelessness. Together, they create a point of view that feels refined without becoming rigid.
Fancy&Proper Golf brings that sensibility to the course. Golf can be a sport, of course, but it can also be an afternoon outdoors with friends, a lesson that becomes a new challenge, or a standing tee time that gives a busy woman something that belongs entirely to her.
Some of the best parts of a golf outing happen between shots. There is conversation, fresh air, movement, scenery, laughter, and the simple pleasure of spending several hours somewhere other than behind a desk or caught up in a list of obligations.
Fancy&Proper Golf dresses that experience with a polished, playful aesthetic inspired by the traditions of the game. A distinctive hat can change the personality of a familiar outfit. A thoughtful combination of colors and accessories can make a look feel considered without feeling overly coordinated.
The goal is not to dress like every other golfer on the course. It is to look like yourself while you play and celebrate that beauty and individuality.
The same philosophy carries onto the tennis court, where Bond’s own experience first changed the way she thought about an active lifestyle.
Tennis brings movement and concentration together in a way that can make an hour disappear. There is the rhythm of a rally, the anticipation of the next shot, the satisfaction of improving, and the camaraderie that grows when people return to the court together week after week.
For someone just beginning, there is no requirement to walk onto the court already knowing how to play. A lesson, a casual doubles match, or a few attempts to keep the ball in play can be enough to get started.
The point is to start right where you are with confidence.
Fancy&Proper Tennis brings that same spirit to court-inspired clothing, headwear, and layers. Pieces such as the Court & Course Skort combine style with practical details, including built-in shorts and a ball pocket, while leaving plenty of room for a woman to style the rest of her look according to her own taste. Because an active life does not stop when the match ends, a favorite sweatshirt can go from the court to coffee. A skort can become part of a weekend wardrobe. A distinctive piece can remind you that getting dressed can be part of the pleasure of doing something you enjoy.

GOLF, TENNIS and Motorsport

MORE REASONS TO GET OUTSIDE

Bond’s vision extends beyond golf and tennis.
Fem5hundred brings another dimension to the story, one built around women, passion, motorsport, and the excitement of being part of something you genuinely enjoy.
The connection is not that every interest needs to become a workout. It is that women benefit from having interests that belong to them. A shared passion can create friendships. An event can give people a reason to gather. Wearing something that reflects what you love can be a small but satisfying expression of identity.
A motorsport-inspired sweater paired with favorite jeans can say plenty without requiring an entire wardrobe devoted to racing. A signature cap can become the detail that connects an outfit to an interest.
That is the freedom Bond seems most interested in giving women: permission to enjoy what they enjoy. There is no single definition of an active life. For one woman, it may mean becoming a regular on the tennis court. For another, it may be golf. Someone else may find her energy through running, hiking, cycling, dancing, gardening, travel, or cheering from the sidelines at an event she loves.

A LIFE WITH ROOM FOR PLAY

Perhaps that is what Adra Bond discovered when she first picked up a tennis racket. Life can become so crowded with work, family, responsibilities, appointments, and obligations that the things we do simply because we enjoy them can slowly disappear. Bond’s experience is a reminder that making time for yourself does not have to be indulgent. It can be part of taking care of yourself.
And sometimes, the best place to begin is simply outside.
“Find something you enjoy. Try something you’ve always been curious about. Call a friend. Take the lesson. Reserve the court. Make the tee time. Go to the event. Put something on the calendar that has nothing to do with what you have to accomplish and everything to do with how you want to feel. Then show up as yourself,” encouraged Bond.
That is the spirit behind Fancy&Proper and Fem5hundred. The clothes are part of the experience, but they are not the experience itself. They accompany the woman who is choosing to participate, explore, compete, connect, laugh, learn, and enjoy her own life.
For Bond, it all started with a tennis court. For another woman, it may start somewhere completely different. The invitation is simply to find it.

Come see Fancy&Proper at the Holiday Boutique! Visit fancyproper.com, email hello@fancyproper.com or call Adra at 913.267.1991 Follow the socials for The Fancy&Proper Experience!