Every Wimbledon is an occasion to see how much higher hemlines will go while sticking to the All-England club's starchy all-white diktat. This year, Eugenie Bouchard's babydoll outfit has become the talk of tennis fashionistas. It's been called the Nike 'nightie' and no one's losing any sleep over it. It hasn't been that way all along Wimbledon's long history.
Women players have had to fight every inch of the way to let them wear ever shorter skirts. The tournament is controlled by a club of people with the stiffest upper lips and while they have conceded inches to the players, they haven't budged when it comes to the colour of the clothing. Apparently, the white code is meant to avoid sweat stains. Whatever.
When Wimbledon started, women played in high-necked, floor-length clothing. The first winner of the women's tournament, Maud Watson wore a floor-length dress which looked like a gown with a lot of flares. She even managed to wear a hat while playing. Even, Ms Watson was fighting the fashion battle. It is said that she provoked many by wearing an ankle-length white dress. And then, in the 1920s, came Suzanne Lenglen. The French winner created a sensation by playing in a sleeveless top and a calf-length dress. And a smart orange headband. No wonder, she was a darling, and reigned the courts and ruled the hearts.
In the 1930s, Helen Wills Moody became a glam icon by wearing a white blouse and a white pleated knee-length skirt. Her white-shaded visor was so famous that many female players adopted it later. These were the inter-war years, remember, and there was a headiness in the air before the carnage that awaited Europe.
Still before the war, Alice Marble dared to wear stylish flannel shorts and crow-neck T-shirts in 1937, giving her an androgynous look. Many newspapers described her as a tomboy who 'hits the tennis ball harder than most men do'. Her outfit was a signature of the times, when women were being drafted into the work force in greater numbers, and would soon man the production lines while the men went away to war.
With Gertrude Moran, famously known as 'Gorgeous Gussie,' came the Wimbledon fashion revolution of the 1950s, created almost entirely by designer Ted Tinling. The comely Ms Moran was his muse as he shocked the world with a satin white dress and lace knickers - which you could see! The outrage over the lace knickers was such that he had to stay away from Wimbledon. But he wouldn't give up.
Ted Tinling continued to create bold dresses for the Brazilian champion Maria Bueno and the American feminist Billie Jean King right through the sixties and into the 1970s. And Tinling didn't only challenge the hemlines, he said boo to the all-white colour code in 1947 with a pink and blue outfit for British player Joy Gannon. But it was Maria Bueno who kicked Wimbledon fashion into high gear, becoming the inspiration of all succeeding generations of female players.
Chris Evert was a Wimbledon sweetheart in the 1970s but she did her bit to on-court elegance to a new level. As a newcomer in 1971, she played in a short lace dress with a white ribbon dangling from her locks. Evert and Martina Navratilova dominated the court well into the 1980s and their outfits with big sailor collars became the norm for players. Martina challenged the all-white rule a bit more with a pale blue-striped skirt. She was questioned but the times were achanging.
In the 1980s, if you had a likeable face, you could get away with a really short skirt. Tracy Austin's embroidered white dress with yellow shorts and her pigtail hairstyle will never be forgotten. Austin, the first of the teen tennis sensations, wowed the courts by matching the big players stroke for stroke, her smile showing her braces, and no one minded the short skirt. In the 1980s she wore a pastel coloured dress that challenged the white rule. In 1985, Annie White's white bodysuit and purple headband left a mark on Wimbledon tennis fashion. Her catsuit created a controversial fashion moment on the court.
Steffi Graf in the 1980s brought colour and prints to Wimbledon fashion. Short skirts and blouses were a rage in those times and Steffi Graf too preferred such outfits. She always used to wear a coordinating band along with it.
In the 1990s, Anna Kournikova was more famous as a model than as a tennis player. Her ever shorter outfits raised many eyebrows at Wimbledon. In 2002, Adidas dressed her up and made her a memorable fashionista of Wimbledon.
Maria Sharapova's tuxedo-style top and shorts were a big hit in 2008. Her tights and skirt combination was a trend from the 1980s. Sharapova even designed her own clothes and started a clothing label. Her association with Nike made her even more famous. Be it her racerback mini dress, the famous A-line skirt designed by Nike, her neon strap dress and her layered dress, were all talking points at Wimbledon.
The Williams sisters added their own unique style to Wimbledon. Their beaded coloured hair made them stand out as soon as they started playing. Serena Williams's Nike trenchcoat along with her big earrings and Venus' Tina Turner inspired outfit as well as her zip-up onesie attained special attention. In 2011, Venus wore a playsuit with a golden belt and this year, Serena with her ballerina style dress designed by Nike made a point that she will always remain a fashionable person on and off the court.