How Tennis Skirts Indulge in Changed Over 100+ Years of Play

In 2024, you couldn’t own tennis vogue to the courts ought to you tried. It’s been a colossal 365 days for followers of the sport (and its timeless elegant): We kicked the summer season off with Challengers (and a corresponding “Tenniscore” lookbook from Zendaya), sailed appropriate into the Olympics, and we’ve never been extra keen to obsess over all things US Start. With all that Gargantuan Slam vitality within the air, it’s no wonder that tennis skirts are without phrase in each problem.

Whereas it’s having A Second, the tennis skirt has no doubt been a staple of its sport for over a century—despite the fact that no longer continuously within the purposeful-meets-flirty have every person knows and cherish. There turn out to be as soon as a time when an exposed ankle or—brace yourself—calf on the tennis court wasn’t actual cause for gossip within the stands: It can maybe end result in decent fouls. However luckily, because the sport progressed over the 20th century, tennis skirts additionally got a revamp to greater aid the athletes wearing them.

With shorter hemlines, constructed-in shorts, and breezier materials came increased agility on the courts, and a complete new avenue of self expression for gamers. Combing thru extra than 100 years of images of tennis skirts, I stumbled on a steadiness of nostalgic parts which own stood the test of time—worship crisp pleats and vivid whites—and ample non-public flair to bewitch things sharp, including retro throwbacks, steel particulars, and lace.

Below, own a own a examine a visual historical previous of the tennis skirt—and obtain tuned for added vogue inspo from the pros all the plan thru the 2024 US Start.

1888

Bet you never notion you’d hear “flooring length” and “tennis skirt” in reference to the same garment.

1912

1922

1925

1926