How to Choose the Right Women’s Golf and Tennis Outfits

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Selecting Your Sportswear Style

So how does one choose among the many tennis outfits for women? Or select what to wear on the golf course? Your personal preference certainly gets a vote when making that choice, but you should also keep in mind where you will be playing. Private clubs often enforce a more traditional dress code. Visors, skirts and shirts with sleeves are the best choice in these settings. The good news is that even the most traditional styles are available in moisture wicking fabric that will keep you cool and comfortable through a heated match.

Playing on a golf course or tennis court that doesn’t adhere to a strictly traditional dress code allows you to expand your wardrobe options even further. Blouson and crew neck zip dresses make cute tennis outfits, and pleated skirts and sweater dresses look smart on the golf course. These flattering and contemporary cuts look great whether you are ready for a match or enjoying a drink at the club.

Other Factors to Consider
When selecting clothing for your sport of choice, style is only one part of the selection. You should feel comfortable in what you are wearing and be able to move around easily. A well-cut outfit should follow your motion, not slip and move around while you are racing across the court. Many modern tennis tops have built in bras, which not only provide support, but give you a smooth, streamlined look.

Don’t forget the accessories to complete your look. A visor keeps the sun, and your hair, out of your face. Sleek undershorts allow you to dive for the ball without worrying about what you are exposing to bystanders.

Concerns over price should not intimidate you away from selecting a new tennis or golf outfit. Modern designs, in sports-specific fabrics, are lightweight, breathable and will last for years. Investing in one or two athletic outfits that fit wonderfully and feel terrific will keep you motivated to play — having an outfit you know you always look great in is a wonderful morale booster.

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Golf shirts for women at that time had sleeves that were very fitted, which sometimes posed mobility problems when they tried to swing. The golf club would often catch the shirt sleeves. Even though skirts were slightly raised off the ground, the club would also sometimes catch in the skirt.

Short Skirts Were Scandalous In The 1920′s
A female tennis player named Suzanne Lenglen created shock-waves in 1922 when she showed up for a tennis match at Wimbledon wearing a short skirt. She wore no hat and she chose instead to wear a bandeau in her hair, which let her see what she was doing. In 1930, it finally became acceptable for women not to wear a hat to play tennis. Also in the 1930′s, another player named Alice Marble surprised the tennis world by wearing a pair of white shorts on the tennis court.

The styles of women’s golf apparel improved very slowly. In 1909, women were allowed to wear a cardigan sweater instead of a jacket to play golf. Fabric that women’s golf clothing was made from changed from heavy fabrics to a stretchy knit jersey fabric for skirts and blouses. Soon after that, pleated skirts became the popular fashion statement for women.

Knickers enjoyed a short period of popularity but were only worn by some women. Short dresses were also favored for a while but they eventually became less popular. One of the longest lasting trends was to wear a top paired with a pleated skirt. This style is still worn today.

The Introduction Of Skorts
In the 1960′s, tennis skorts became fashionable for women. They were worn on golf courses and on tennis courts. Sometimes women wore Bermuda shorts and sleeveless blouses, but tennis skorts also became a much-loved fashion trend because of their comfort. They also allowed women to move and play to the best of their ability without the worry about bending and moving.

Tennis skorts continue to be very stylish, comfortable and popular today for women’s golf and tennis. They have a feminine look and appeal, with the extra quality of allowing for practically any type of movement. Women today are more competitive than ever before when they play sports and they appreciate comfortable clothing that allows them to always play their best game.

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In the early days of golf, women’s fashion lagged far behind the men’s in terms of utility. Male golfers were able to wear tailor-made trousers and tee shirts, which provided plenty of freedom of movement, and many selected wide-brimmed hats to keep the sun off their faces. In contrast, women were expected to dress rather impractically in long dresses. Around the turn of the century, some improvements were made with the introduction of shorter skirts and tailored blouses, but the attire was still less than ideal for the twisting and turning required of a serious golfer.

It was the 1960s that marked a big change in women’s golf fashion. Shifting social norms made it acceptable for women to wear sleeveless tops or blouses on the golf course, which provided maximum freedom of movement for their arms while swinging golf clubs. Some women even opted to wear Bermuda shorts, though these knee-length pants were still far more modest than the short shorts of today. As golf is typically a summer sport, these changes in attire made it much easier for women to cope with hot and sunny conditions and stay out on the course all day long.

Note that not every female golfer took part in this change in attire. Indeed, the majority of women still wore skirts and blouses on the course, which were somewhat less functional but substantially more fashionable. Other women opted for cotton shirt dresses, often sleeveless, which were simple, stylish and comfortable at a broad range of temperatures. Cashmere sweaters were popular options for cooler weather.

Perhaps the biggest fashion trend that got its start in the 1960s was the skort. A hybrid garment that consisted of a pair of shorts under a skirt, the skort allowed female golfers to stay fashionable on the course without risking overexposure. Skorts could easily be paired with printed blouses, which were also highly fashionable for women at the time. Indeed, these clothes represented the fusion of form and function that had been so important to golfers throughout the history of the game.

As the decade progressed, more and more female golfers opted for skorts in lieu of the more traditional skirts and golf dresses. Skirts became shorter during the 1960s, and having a pair of shorts underneath allowed women to keep wearing these fashionable clothes while swinging golf clubs and still remain completely covered.

For both men and women, golf attire in the 1960s tended to be fairly muted, with few flashy colors. Patterns were likewise simple: Most women opted for solid colors, stripes or plaid, although some golfers chose novelty prints. Because of golf’s outdoor setting, hats were also in style during the period. Indeed, a matching hat was often viewed as the finishing touch on a functional and stylish golf ensemble.

As the 1960s drew to a close, women’s golf fashion had seen several notable changes that would carry on through the coming years. The skort remained popular, and more and more women started to wear sleeveless tops and Bermuda shorts on golf courses. Cotton golf dresses fell somewhat out of style in favor of more functional clothes, although they have seen something of a renaissance in recent years. Indeed, the 1960s represented a turning point in women’s golf fashion, as older, more conservative clothes started to give way to more functional choices of attire. This emphasis on freedom of movement has only grown stronger in the decades since.

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The Earliest Tennis Outfits

Women began playing tennis in the 1860s, and their first outfits fit the Victorian ideals of modesty and practical materials. This tennis attire included restrictive corsets under high-collared blouses paired with ground-length skirts often made from flannel and trimmed with fur. These women’s outfits were darkly colored with tight sleeves that limited arm movement. The restricted movement allowed the ladies to hit lightly and to play a feminine version of tennis, often known as “pat ball.” In addition to all this clothing, Victorian tennis players wore fashionable hats that were distracting while playing sports.

By the 1890s, white had become the overwhelmingly popular color for tennis attire. When Maud Watson won the ladies’ Wimbledon in 1884, she was wearing a white outfit that became the symbol of tennis success. In addition to Watson’s fashion contribution, women realized that white was the best color to conceal inevitable perspiration stains. Most female tennis players of the late 19th century were upper class, and they did not want sweat stains on their tennis attire, an appearance most frequently attributed to the working class.

Beginning the 20th Century

As the 20th century began, women began to make slight changes to the tennis uniform in attempt to improve their mobility and overall play. Women were admonished for exposing their wrists and ankles, so they found more success in removing the ungainly bustles, restrictive corsets, and distracting hats.

Despite these restrictions, photographs from the early part of the century show college players with their skirts a couple of inches above the ground and with their sleeves rolled up to the elbows. When May Sutton wore her tennis outfit this way at the 1905 Wimbledon tournament, she scandalized the world by showing so much skin. Nevertheless, just five years later, college players began wearing knee-length sports skirts for their matches.

Soon after World War I, female tennis players began pushing for more practical and stylish options for their attire. French player Suzanne Lenglen caused a stir for her short skirt, bright cardigan, and colored headband on the Wimbledon court. American Helen Wills Moody also experimented with her tennis attire in the 1920s, choosing a sleeveless white blouse and pleated skirt in addition to stylish sunglasses.

From World War II Until Now
After World War II, female tennis players focused more on practicality and comfort than on fashion and style. These women chose loose skirts or shorts paired with short-sleeved shirts to increase mobility. Most added a cap to keep the sun out of their eyes as well.

In 1949, American Gertrud Moran wore a white dress to play at Wimbledon, as was the tournament’s rule, but she scandalized the organization by exposing lace-trimmed panties under it. By the 1950s, women were exposing their bare legs by removing their stockings and reducing their hemlines. This allowed them to play a more physical game.

As time has passed, female tennis players have continued to evolve their fashion to further improve their play and gain versatility and individuality. Again pushing the boundaries of appropriate attire, Anne White wore an all-white, skin-tight bodysuit to play Wimbledon in 1985. Although she lost the match and was warned not to wear it again, Wimbledon officials allowed White to play in this bodysuit.

In the 1990s, Venus and Serena Williams became tennis icons by wearing colorful clothes, dangling earrings, and intricately beaded hair designs while playing excellent tennis. The pair accessorizes their outfits as much on the court as they in their everyday attire, and they push the boundaries of acceptable tennis fashion. Spurred by the Williams sisters, tennis fashion has more fully embraced colorful outfits and variations of skirts and shorts on the court.

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Lenglen was born on May 24, 1899, in a community just north of Paris. As she suffered chronic asthma and other health problems throughout her youth, her father, Charles Lenglen, decided that she should begin playing tennis to improve her strength and hopefully mend her health. When the young Lenglen showed talent and desire to play the sport, her father began training her himself. Four years of preparation from her father, included the fabled method of laying a handkerchief down on the court as a hitting target for his young daughter, led to Lenglen’s first appearance and loss at the 1914 French Championships. She was only 14 years old at the time.

Unfortunately her success and prowess was stalled by the outbreak of World War I shortly after her debut. When Wimbledon resumed five years later, Lenglen appeared in the final again, her first time on a grass court. Facing a seven-time winner in Dorothea Douglass Chambers, Lenglen gained more attention from her tennis fashion than from her performance. When she arrived at Wimbledon, Lenglen was clad in dress that revealed her bare forearms and calves. While the proper British audience was shocked by the scandalous amount of skin, they were even more appalled by the bold Frenchwoman who refreshed herself with drinks of brandy between sets.

This was just the beginning of Lenglen’s dominance on the tennis court. During the time period from 1919 to 1926, she won at Wimbledon an impressive six times, at the French Championships another six times, and at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp. Even more impressively, she did not simply win these matches, she decimated her competition to the point that her opponents were pleased simply to win points against her.

Following her greatest year of playing in 1925, Lenglen became the most well-known athlete in the world. This was an impressive feat considering that Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, and Bill Tilden were all active athletes at the same time. Noting this success and popularity, Lenglen decided to become a professional tennis player in an amateur sport. Until this point, players who were found to be camouflaging a professional career and who were being paid for playing were often banished from the sport.

Lenglen enjoyed her glory years immensely. While she was hard, unsmiling, and determined on the court, she was every bit the fun-loving star before she stepped on it. Lenglen painted her fingernails before matches, and she arrived for every event in every climate by wearing a fur or fur-trimmed coat and dark red lips. Preparing for her matches, Lenglen would pose for photographers in these coats, her tennis racket strategically held in the crook of her arm while her other hand would stealthily hold her fur coat open to reveal her tennis fashion underneath.

After shocking the British at Wimbledon, Lenglen made it a habit to wear an above-the-knee white silk dress and brightly colored sweater to each match. She would match her colorful sweater to her “Lenglen bandeau,” a headgear invention of her own that was created simply from wrapping silk chiffon around her bobbed hair. This wrap, paired with her short skirts and rolled stockings, gave Lenglen a sexy and athletic image previously unseen in tennis or in any women’s sports.

Following her retirement from professional tennis, Lenglen was diagnosed with leukemia in June 1938. Within three weeks, she suffered blindness, and less than a month after her cancer diagnosis, she died at age 39 from her disease and a bout of pernicious anemia. She was buried near her childhood home outside of Paris.

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The First Golf Outfits

Golf in the 1800s began as a sport mainly centered on courses at elite country clubs around the country. At the time, country clubs were not just places to participate in athletic activities. In fact, country clubs were exclusive groups where young men and women could meet and socialize in a socially acceptable setting. This could also be an opportunity for eligible young bachelors and bachelorettes to meet and perhaps begin a respectable relationship. Because of these possibilities, ladies’ golf clothing needed to be both fashionable and modest.

Lady golfers needed to appear feminine over all else. Due to this necessity, the first golf outfits were based more on conservative fashion and less on functionality for actually playing the sport. In an attempt to attract an impressive young man on the golf course, female golfers wore simple, long-sleeved, tightly fitted blouses paired with long skirts that reached to just inches above the ground.

The designers of these looks intended that the length a few inches above the ground would allow ladies to move and swing their golf clubs. Unfortunately, these designers did not take into account that swinging a golf club requires the movement of the entire body. The fitted sleeves of the blouse restricted the women’s arm movements, and the long skirt often became tangled with the golf club during a swing.

The Early 20th Century

By the early 20th century, London designer Thomas Burberry introduced a free-stroke coat that featured special, unrestrictive sleeves. Rather than the tight sleeves of the first golf outfits, the free-stroke coat allowed ladies to physically participate in the golf swing necessary for success on the course. In addition to this freeing top, Burberry also reintroduced the adjustable skirt that was popular with female croquet players. This skirt, adjusted by a drawstring, was closer to eight inches off the ground, allowing even more movement during a woman’s golf swing.

Therefore, the golf uniform of the early 1900s included a blouse, free-stroke coat, and the adjustable skirt. Soon the cardigan sweater began to replace the golf jacket, and the blouses and skirts were being constructed from looser knit jersey. Both of these adjustments allowed greater range of motion for female golfers, but even more improvement began when pleats were added to the skirts and blouses around 1920.

Around this time, many female golfers began to wear knickers to play the sport, and some of these women were featured on the covers of golfing magazines. However, most respectable country clubs would not allow women to dress in pants, so women continued to wear pleated skirts and blouses to play golf there.

Although knickers were out of the question, in the mid-1920s, female golfers also started wearing a one-piece dress known as the Shirtmaker dress. In fact, this dress became so popular for golf and other sports that it was the basic uniform for all female golfers for the next three decades.

The 1960s Until Now

While the skirts in tennis continued to get shorter throughout the 1940s and 1950s, golf dresses remained virtually unchanged. Finally, in the 1960s, women began wearing sleeveless blouses and Bermuda shorts to play golf.

When some country clubs still did not allow women to wear pants on the fairway, golf wear designers invented the skort as a viable option. The skort combined the shorter length of the Bermuda shorts with the femininity of a skirt. As the 1960s continued, the skort became shorter, further allowing women the freedom to move and play golf while remaining fashionable and modestly covered.

The combination of the Bermuda shorts and the skort caused the golf dress to fall out of fashion. Women began to prefer playing the sport in pants or skorts instead. Today, female golfers are offered an array of golf attire unparalleled in the past decades. Woman can wear whatever makes them feel comfortable and able to move on the course, and they accessorize with stylish hates and shoes that often add a feminine touch.

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The game of tennis has evolved exponentially over the last Century. And with that evolution came a distinct revolution in women’s tennis attire. Trace these fun changes in the infographic we’ve created and let us know where you think tennis attire is headed in the future.

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Hannah serving in our fabulous new lace skirt! Coming in the fall…

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