Fashion faults & smashes; Women's tennis pioneers who dared to bare ..and stars who turned court into a catwalk.Byline: DINAH TURNER THESE women are as famed for fashion as for their forehand forehand the head, neck, shoulders, withers and forelimbs of the horse. . Over the decades, the tennis world has been shocked by leotards, shorts, bright colours and, most horrifying of all, players who dared to bare their knees. This week, Maria Sharapova (left) joined a long list of tennis pioneers with her latest outfit - a militarystyle white jacket. Here, we take a look at some of the Wimbledon styles that looked ace on the court - and those that left fans choking on their strawberries and cream. Maud Watson Maud Watson (October 9 1864 – June 5 1946 in Charmouth) was an English tennis player. Born in Harrow, London, the daughter of a local vicar, she began playing competitive tennis in 1881. IT'S the only thing for a reputable teenager to be seen in. Vicar's daughter Maud wore a kneelength skirt, petticoat and high-neck blouse when she won the first-ever Wimbledon ladies' championship. Crowds were impressed with the 19-year-old's agility in the outfit. But they worried that brazen Maud was revealing a little too much as her ankles were on show as she jumped for the ball. The shame of it. Suzanne Lenglen Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen (24 May 1899 – 4 July, 1938) was a French tennis player who won 31 Grand Slam titles from 1914 through 1926. A flamboyant, trendsetting athlete, she was the first female tennis celebrity and one of the first international female sport stars, named TRUST a French woman to spice up the All England tennis club. Suzanne Lenglen outraged fans in this delicately pleated dress which, shockingly, bared her forearms and lower legs. But her trendy bandeau over a hat was widely copied by everyone who's anyone. Suzanne, considered to be the first female sporting celebrity, also set post-war tongues wagging by applying make-up, wearing a fur coat and sipping brandy between sets. Ooh la la. Helen Wills Moody OF course, those awful, vulgar Americans caused a stir. Helen, who won 31 Grand Slam titles in her career, had the audacity to wear a skirt that stopped above the knee. Quite rightly, she was given a stern ticking off. But once organisers told her Wimbledon was no place for fashion statements, she explained the outfit allowed her more freedom to move around the court. Fans eventually got used to the skirts and her trademark visor is still worn today. Alice Marble JUST when we thought we'd seen it all - a woman turns up in shorts. Tomboy tomboy Psychology A popular term for a girl whose developmental gender-identity/role is discordant with her genotype. Cf Sissy. Alice, who won the Wimbledon singles title in 1939, was also the first lady to serve overarm o·ver·arm 1 adj. Sports 1. Executed with the arm raised above the shoulder; overhand: an overarm throw. 2. and volley. Whatever next? The "queen of women's tennis" insisted that she wore shorts to aid her performance and, as she was ranked No1 in the world from 1936 - 1940. they certainly didn't do any harm. Gertrude 'Gorgeous Gussie' Moran WE were still on food rations but, judging by her short skirt, American Gussie clearly thought fabric was limited. With her frilly frill n. 1. A ruffled, gathered, or pleated border or projection, such as a fabric edge used to trim clothing or a curled paper strip for decorating the end of the bone of a piece of meat. 2. knickers on show, one Wimbledon member said she "put sin and vulgarity into tennis". Gussie entered the tournament wearing a short tennis skirt with a pair of decorative lace bloomers peeking out from the hem. It was the first time ladies' lingerie had ever been intentionally visible. The post-war media went mad with photographers vying for the best shot of Gussie's gusset gus·set n. 1. A triangular insert, as in the seam of a garment, for added strength or expansion. 2. A triangular metal bracket used to strengthen a joist. 3. . These pictures appeared around the world and, though some were appalled, the public loved it. Martina Navratilova MARTINA Navratilova jazzed up her Wimbledon whites by adding a splash of navy blue to every outfit. The tennis great, who won a staggering 59 Grand Slam titles, kept up with fashion in this mini nauticalstyle shirt dress. Well, it was the 70s. Billie Jean King Noun 1. Billie Jean King - United States woman tennis player (born in 1943) Billie Jean Moffitt King, King BILLIE Jean was the first to step out in what is now seen as the tennis uniform - a white polo shirt and matching pleated skirt. While she didn't push the style boundaries, she did get herself noticed when she took on and beat Bobby Riggs, a former men's champ. Anne White EVERYONE regrets the 80s - Anne more than most. Jaws dropped when the American took to the lawn in a lycra leotard, leaving little to the imagination. She was told to change by the fashion police. Sorry, umpire. Serena Williams AS if her loud grunts weren't enough to put an opponent off her forehand, Serena's outfits are terrifying, to say the least. She made her debut at the 2004 US Open in knee-high socks, a studded vest and denim skirt. Officials quickly demanded she change, ruling it breached the event's guidelines. |
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