Tennis has always been the sport closest to fashion, whether haute couture or prêt-à-porter. However, this wasn’t always the case.
Until the 1920s, female players wore “suits” consisting of large hats, long skirts, and long-sleeved blouses, which limited their mobility on the court. All of this changed thanks to the great French tennis star, Suzanne Lenglen, who led a fashion evolution both on and off the court.
In collaboration with the Parisian designer Jean Patou, for whom she was a muse and model, Lenglen became the image of casual and avant-garde sports style.
Patou, dubbed “the most elegant man in Europe,” dressed Lenglen in a mid-calf pleated skirt that gave her freedom, sleeveless tops, and the iconic headband that became her signature look.
The brilliant collaboration between Lenglen and Patou laid the foundation for women’s sports fashion, inspiring future generations of designers and athletes to challenge norms and redefine the relationship between sports and fashion.
