Ralph Lauren's Wimbledon
The Latest Tennis-Inspired Collection From the King of the Preppies
Each year Wimbledon sparks a flurry of fashion stories in the media—whether regarding the attire of the attending Royal family or the risqué ensembles of the players attempting to push the boundaries of the tournament’s notoriously strict dress codes. Of the latter, notable examples include the skin-tight bodysuit Anne White exhibited in 1985 and the shorts and tuxedo-style sleeveless shirt Maria Sharapova wore in place of the traditional skirt in 2008. The only participants who remain entirely irreproachable in terms of their fashion choices (if not their calls) are the umpires, linesmen and ball boys. These lucky few are, for the fifth year running, being dressed by the king of preppy chic, Ralph Lauren, whose classic country club style is a perfect match for this most traditional of tournaments. Off court tennis fans can channel their inner Federer with the collection’s core of white polo shirts emblazoned with the Wimbledon logo, shorts with side stripes, and navy striped, ribbon-piped schoolboy blazers. Ladies, meanwhile, can opt for a tennis dress paired with a sleeveless knit. Other traditionally English summer sports are channelled elsewhere with a cotton shawl-collared, cable-knit cricketing cardigan and, of course, through the iconic Polo logo.