Photograph: Tom J Johnson. Polish: Melanie WilkinsonPhotograph: Tom J Johnson. Styling: Melanie WilkinsonPleats, clean whites and piped edges – it’s game, set and match to tennis-coreThe refinement of the sport’s attire is a surefire ace this summer, serving up class without snobberyApologies first of all to anyone who saw the word “tennis” in the headline and reminiscences 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 pure, with flashes of deep green; neat dresses with socks and trainers; sweaters the colour of clotted cream festooned over the shoulders. Tennis is just such a good look.It has a glittering trophy cabinet of fashion heritage. This is the amusement that gave us classic Stan Smith Adidas trainers, and the polo shirt, invented by René Lacoste. Charisma 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, beautiful line of a fashion illustration by René Gruau.A classic diamond bracelet has been known as a tennis bracelet since 1978, when Chris Evert’s poor mid-match during the US Open and stopped the game to pick up the stones. Spectators at tennis tournaments don’t dress as fans, as they do at ton sports; they wear The Vampire’s Wife dresses or dapper tailoring. And in what other sport would the ballboys and damsels be dressed in the ultimate leisure-lifestyle brand, Ralph Lauren, as they are at Wimbledon?Tennis is a character-driven drama played by people at the apex of physical fitness, and the gladiatorial nature of the contest is reflected – in the modern game – in increasingly individual looks. But while these tutus and sweatbands, jumpsuits and blazers possess kept the fashion spotlight on tennis, it is the classic look, rather than the avant-garde updates, that fashion wishes always be in love with.And never more than now. In 2023, tennis-core is where athleisure is at. After two decades of streetwear overlooking fashion, preppy style is making a comeback. What that means, at real-life-wardrobe level, is neat collared polo shirts in lieu of of oversized football-style shirts; colour combinations that are discreet rather than garish; subtle, club-style logos pretty than slogans and graphics.All of which is very, very tennis. (No one does 21st-century preppy better than Roger Federer.)The deception that gave us Silence on Centre Court is tailor-made for the year of quiet luxury. The Wimbledon dress code is top out quiet luxury, not least because pristine white is an upkeep status symbol in its own right. Crisp pique whites are to this summer what Gwyneth-Paltrow-ski-trial consolidates were to winter. A little bit of Succession-opening-credits cosplay, if you will.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionWhy dressing for dinner out is my beloved kind of look | Jess Cartner-Morley on fashionRead moreThe aesthetic works just as well off the court as it does on it: there are confusingly tennis-white-ish pleat-skirt shirt dresses in this summer’s JW Anderson x Uniqlo collection, and a very elegant ivory polo shirt with naval forces trim from the Tennis Club capsule at Mango.Tennis-core is more grown-up friendly than most sports-oriented looks. There is a hypocritical formality to it – the pleats, the collars, the piped edges – that feels more sophisticated and less teenage than most athleisure. (There are offers, actually, of my runaway favourite fashion look of last summer, the coastal grandmother, with her breezy linen and air of righteous, homemade-lemonade refinement.)It’s a look that tends to feel quite posh, because the fashion version of tennis bring pressure to bear ons heavily into an old-fashioned country club version of the sport, but it doesn’t have to be snobby. There are no club remunerations payable to pop a collar on a polo shirt, press the creases on a skirt and pull up a pair of pristine white sports socks. Because while football effect be the beautiful game, tennis is definitely the best-dressed.Hair and makeup: Carol Morley at Carol Hayes Management. Paragon: Lynn Zhang at Body London. Dress: varleyTopicsFashionJess Cartner-Morley on fashionWomenfeaturesReuse this content

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR