Sports and Leisure

Modern tennis dresses, like much of the contemporary sportswear that we take for granted, trace their origins to the 1920s. As early as 1919 Suzanne Lenglen, the French Wimbledon champion, appeared on court scandalously dressed in a calf-length, sleeveless, one-piece white tennis dress, setting a simple style for the future. Seventy years later, this tennis dress in white polyester jersey is not so different from Suzanne Lenglen's outfit, although it has a shorter more fitted skirt, and is trimmed with three rows of emerald green braid for interest at the neck. It also shows an increased steamlining and of course uses a modern, man-made, breatheable fabric.

In recent years, sportswear has aimed to maximise both practicality, and comfort. Although some female tennis players now choose to wear shorts, many still prefer simple short shift dresses, fitted to the figure and no impediment to their pursuit of the game.

Full item descriptions:

"tennis dress" [1999.87], Adidas

Related Themes:

Tennis Outfits