Apologies first of all to anyone who saw the word “tennis” in the headline and thought this was going to be a column about Andy Murray’s prospects at Wimbledon, because it isn’t. (Fingers crossed though.)
I’m not here to talk tennis. I’m here to talk tennis-core. Knife-pleat skirts, visors, collared polo shirts. Snowy white, with flashes of deep green; neat dresses with socks and trainers; sweaters the colour of clotted cream draped over the shoulders. Tennis is just such a good look.
It has a glittering trophy cabinet of fashion heritage. This is the sport that gave us classic Stan Smith Adidas trainers, and the polo shirt, invented by René Lacoste. Glamour and elegance infuse tennis on court and off. The grace and power of a player serving an ace or diving into the net for a volley has the elongated, elegant line of a fashion illustration by René Gruau.
