![]() “That’s how two out of three versus three out of five came around. “But if a man had a corset on, he might have fainted, too, back in the 1800s,” she said. The corsets would sometimes make women faint, King recalled. In the Victorian era, women wore dresses with bustles and corsets and “all the rest of it to play - unbelievably,” she said. The fact that early on in the sport women and men played tennis together added a romantic dimension to it, Wilson said. ![]() Designers who were later inspired by her look included Perry Ellis, whose 1984 spring collection stands in homage to her style. Lenglen’s look of bobbed hair, silk headband, nifty cardigans and her formless, sleeveless, regulation “white only” dresses that showed two inches of her stocking legs awakened the public to what fashionable tennis style could be. Tennis player Susanne Lenglen’s on- and off-the-court play and style reverberated throughout designer collections and women’s wardrobes beginning in the Twenties and is still very much in fashion today. The second comes directly in the form of style. His loose pique knit, flat unstarched collared shirt with sleeves ending at the elbow, (and decorated with its famed crocodile logo) changed the game by allowing the players to have greater range of motion. The first innovation came from player-turned-manufacturer René “the Crocodile” Lacoste in 1923. Two of those silhouettes are permanent fixtures to the unofficial uniform of the game. There are also references to the many mishaps and innovations continuing to follow the sport’s fashion legacy. Early articles cast a light on the lack of functionalism in the first few generations of tennis fashion for men and women. ![]() Tennis’ fashion influence has been covered by WWD since the early 1900s. It’s very international so there’s a very international influence on what the players might wear.” They’re readily recognized on the street. Stan Smith spoke of the sport’s lasting appeal: “Both the players - men and women - and the fans are going to be influenced by what they see on the court. The on-court or off-the-court branded tennis fashions have always been an impressive ally to designers from the high street to fast fashion. Interestingly, since its inception, tennis has been accepted as a suitable sport for everyone. Naomi Osaka’s decision last Wednesday to not compete in the rest of the Western & Southern Open was based on what she called “the continued genocide of Black people.” Explaining her stance on Twitter, the 22-year-old Nike-sponsored athlete said she didn’t expect anything drastic to happen by not playing, but “if I can get a conversation started in a majority white sport, I consider that a step in the right direction.” In recent days, billion-dollar brands like Nike and Adidas have voiced their support for athletes, who are using their platforms for justice. The notion that tennis - like other sports - can be highly political has been ingrained for decades. As companies strive to be more inclusive, they are partnering with players of different backgrounds to appeal to a wider customer base than the traditional country club set. Through the 20th century to today, the sport of tennis has provided a unique multilevel platform for the marketing of branded product via the player, the fans, and the fashion world. “Sportswear - Vital and Fast Growing,” depicting Mary Sutton, Suzanne Lenglen and Gussie Moran, from the Aug., 15, 1950, issue of Women’s Wear Daily. From the Victorian era’s corseted tennis requirements for women to the current less-restrictive, body-baring styles, tennis attire is indicative of the freedoms that have been fought for. Their choices also are emblematic of societal changes, according to tennis legend Billie Jean King. With an average of 1.27 million viewers watching last year’s tournament live over the course of two weeks, the players’ on-court attire resonates with fans and designers. With no spectators allowed at Flushing Meadow and many of the top players sitting the tournament out - including Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Ashleigh Barty and Simone Halep - this year’s Open may lack some of the excitement of recent years.īut from casual spectators to diehard loyalists with courtside or promenade seating, the international tennis tournament has always doubled as an unofficial fashion show. Open enters its second day of competition mired in the COVID-19 pandemic and the athlete protests that have swept the sports world in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis.
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