I have been having a lovely time perusing the archives at the wonderful (and sometimes not so wonderful) fashions of the tennis world!
With the beginning of the Wimbledon championships this week, the strawberries and the Pimms are flowing, and once again we get to see what the latest fashions are on court.
There have been major advances in fabric technologies since 1
886 when Wimbledon began. Thank goodness!! And fashions have also changed dramatically since in that time.
From long skirts, high collars and non-stretch fabrics, (which must have been terribly constricting) we have moved through all sorts of 'interesting' styles to generally very short skirts, breathable and stretchy fabrics, and a whole lot more scope for movement.
Below are a selection of my favourite fashions from past championships...
Here Dorothea Lambert Chambers shows off her skills in a long, layered skirt. She won the Wimbledon championships an incredible seven times!!! What a gal!
Lottie Dod won Wimbledon a total of five times. The first time she won, in 1887, she was only 15 years old!
Who could fail to notice this rather radical one-piece sported by Anne White in 1985! I guess it was fairly practical from a movement point of view, but I hope it wasn't a particularly hot summer! But quite honestly, whatever you think of the look, you've got to give the lady kudos for having the nerve (and the figure) to carry it off!
An interesting look from Maria Sharapova...I'm not 100% sure what I think of this one, but I do love the idea of crossing two very distinct styles that relate to such different occasions. Why be boring?!
I do love this layered, pleated skirt worn by Serena Williams in 2016. And the high, turtle neck, racer back top gives room for movement AND style! Nice one Nike.
Ok, so this is my favourite! But apparently it was in the news in 2016 because it was so massively impractical! This is Lucie Safarova wearing it as it should be, but other players were having to wear t-shirts over the top, or wear headbands round their waists to keep the dress in place. Oops!
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