Fashion 🌀 Spiral: Tennis
I LOVE LOVE tennis looks and fashion. Come for the fashion and please give me some grace on excessive puns.
I wanted to pick up a new activity that was completely different from my career—something physical and challenging. Starting from scratch and learning something new appealed to me. The one area where I did want it to overlap with my fashion background was in the fun outfits!
Tennis seemed like the perfect fit: more accessible, with affordable gear and plenty of public courts nearby. It was a win-win and love-love situation. I've been taking lessons for two years now and even dabbled in pickleball.
When I wrote about athleisure recently, I realized there was so much to cover, especially with racket sports having a major moment. So, I decided to serve up a separate piece in time for the US Open. Let's dive into Tenniscore!
In this spiral we will rally back and forth between the pieces that make up a tennis fit, key brands, fashion history on the court, winning cultural moments, styling inspiration for taking the looks off the court and more content to explore.
Ace Your Looks: Must-Have Tennis Pieces
Tennis Dresses - A few different styles to consider. Some have no attached shorts, and you can add your own underneath and others have a variety of ways to attach the bottoms.
My favorite are: this with the zip neckline, a simple easy a-line, this detailed back and an easy fit with a small simple logo.
Tennis Skirts - whether you are volleying, hitting the grand slam circuit or a Gen Alpha going to school, this active style is incredibly popular at the moment. I find it very versatile and easy to wear. Plus, it has pockets! Yes, to keep tennis balls, but still a major win.
My favorites are: this Girlfriend Collective that has a range of sizes, my favorite one with the softest material and plisse is having a moment so this skirt in three colors (including trending butter yellow) shouldn’t be missed.
Other Bottoms - my favorite shorts (and the only shorts I wear) and in the winter months I love these performance joggers. Technically not tennis but they have pockets and work for my lessons. Surprising no one, I’m not a pro tennis player.
Layers - throw on a sweatshirt or this one. For great tennis jackets I like this Windbreaker from Tory Sport and this v-neck sweater.
Accessories:
I wear Nike tennis sneakers and I like these On Roger tennis sneakers too.
Bags - so many options here.
I like a classic tennis cover tote and use one similar to this.
Away just launched this awesome new tote, Courtside in Navy and Salt, that I can’t wait to check out in person. It holds paddles or a racket so it is a versatile bag to use when your travel plans include a court or you are toting your gear to grab a match.
MZ Wallace has a great tote bag and I’m very into the backpack tote.
Kule has a classic tote (and I want to do an Ironic Boat and Tote with “Love” for all my tennis gear.)
And this one item I always keep in my bag along with sunscreen.
As for rackets - I would trust the tennis pros vs me. But I do love a fun dampener.**
All about the Tennis Bracelet
TL;DR: The tennis bracelet, a simple string of diamonds, gained its name and popularity from tennis star Chris Evert. Once associated with upper-class country clubs, it's now incredibly popular, more accessible and plenty of innovative and creative designs available.
Key insights and details:
Origin of the name:
Chris Evert was known for wearing diamond eternity bracelets during matches in the 1970s and 1980s. It was unusual at the time to wear fine jewelry during sports competitions and her consistent wearing of the bracelet on court made it her signature accessory.
During a U.S. Open match (exact year disputed, either late 1970s or 1980s) Evert's diamond bracelet fell off her wrist during play and she requested a pause in the game to find her bracelet. This incident drew significant attention to the jewelry item and afterwards the style became known as a “tennis bracelet.”
Evert's prominence as a top tennis player (18-time Grand Slam champion) gave her significant influence.
Her wearing of the bracelet showed it could be both elegant and practical for sports.
Evert’s wearing of the diamond bracelet demonstrated the versatility of fine jewelry, making it appropriate for casual and athletic settings.
This coincided with a larger cultural shift towards more wearable luxury items and helped transition diamond bracelets from formal-only wear to everyday accessories.
Jewelers began marketing similar bracelets as "tennis bracelets" and the style became a staple in jewelry collections. Evert sparked a trend that has lasted for decades and feels incredibly strong today. We now also have matching “tennis necklaces.”
Style characteristics:
Simple line of diamonds
Flexible and lightweight, practical for sports
Versatile, can be worn casually or formally
How to get the style and look:
Dorsey has an extensive assortment that includes a variety of cuts, sizes of stones and length of the bracelets. Their sterling silver bracelets are a solid choice because they are “sweat approved” and won’t be impacted by a workout. What is also great about the Dorsey tennis bracelets is you can get an appropriate fit. Since they offer in a variety of lengths you can choose one that will fit your wrist and still allow you to play and not hang too loosely. These bracelets also have a double “emergency” safety clasp keeping it super secure (not likely to stop your tennis game to search for it! Even for Chris Evert.)
I would recommend starting with the Kate 3mm round cut and if you want to style for a fun look, add a second one at a slightly larger size too. I also love the idea of the James round bezel setting. 18k gold vermeil is also “sweat approved” and this is a great look at the 3mm Riviére bezel.
More tennis bracelet options:
Convertible - double wrap bracelet to necklace with diamonds.
Stretchy diamond bracelet
Colorful emerald riviére bracelet
Hex shape for a more unique look
Adjustable CZ to fit a variety of sized wrists
On the Baseline: Key Brands Defining Tennis Style
Here are a few brands that are doing a great job with tennis style.
On - partnered with Jonathan Anderson/Loewe, Zendaya and Roger Federer. That’s fashion and tennis trifecta.
Nike - an impressive history of partnering with tennis stars, well priced and functional pieces. This article from Courts I found really interesting about the challenges of marketing a brand in a team sport vs in a game like tennis where the athletes are individual players vs a team and want to stand out.
“We’re now seeing the world’s top 20 Nike tennis stars, all wearing the same gear as each other at every tournament. And several players aren’t happy with the lack of effort to differentiate the sport’s most elite players in the post-Federer era. And we know this differentiation is important to the world’s best. Take this quote from Sharapova for example: “Nike would put me in the same clothes as maybe 10 other girls in the tour. We all looked like clones. I want to be different. If everyone is wearing black, I want to be wearing red.”
Lacoste - founded by tennis legend René Lacoste in 1933, revolutionized tennis fashion with the introduction of the iconic polo shirt, crafted from lightweight "petit piqué" cotton, offering a stylish alternative to the traditional heavy shirts worn by players. The brand's signature crocodile logo, inspired by Lacoste's nickname, symbolizes the tenacity and innovation that defined his career, which included seven Grand Slam titles and groundbreaking inventions like the steel racket. Lacoste remains an integral part of tennis history, blending elegance, functionality, and a pioneering spirit that continues to influence the sport's fashion and culture. You can learn more here.
Varley - known for muted colors, an incredibly soft fabrics and well done silhouettes that feel elevated. While not professionally known as a major tennis brand I notice this on the courts a lot for the casual tennis player.
A few other brands that do a great job with tennis fashion: Tory Sport, Athleta, Lululemon, Alo and Target has well priced and well executed tennis skirts (I also liked their collab with Prince earlier this year.)
Grand Slam Style: History of Tennis Fashion
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