Fashion is on the agenda for this week's Throwback Thursday from the Wimbledon Museum. In particular, Eileen Bennett, who dared to do something different...

Players have long been experimenting with fashion at Wimbledon; from May Sutton rolling up her sleeves in 1905 to Suzanne Lenglen playing without a corset in 1920. Following the First World War, tennis fashion was rapidly moving forwards. The 1920s paved the way for clothing that allowed for more freedom of movement, with calf-length cotton dresses with pleated skirts, loose waists and short sleeves. In the next decade tennis fashion continued to evolve but with a more masculine influence.

During The Championships 1931, Joan Lycett became the first female player to play without stockings, appearing on Centre Court with bare legs and ankle socks. Once stockings had been rejected, this cleared the way for shorter hemlines, eventually leading to the arrival of divided skirts, culottes and shorts. Ladies tennis fashion was indeed progressing rapidly.

The first female player to wear shorts on Centre Court was Eileen Bennett (Fearnley-Whittingstall after her first marriage). On the first Tuesday of The Championships 1934 in a match against Betty Nuthall, she walked onto Centre Court wearing shorts revealing her bare knees – good gracious!! This caused a wave of shock and astonishment across Wimbledon.

Eileen Bennett was one of the most notable British female players of the era, competing at Wimbledon between 1925 and 1935. Although she did not win a Wimbledon title, she was an important figure in contemporary tennis fashion, with a flurry of female players following in her stead. By the mid 1930s, culottes and divided skirts had become commonplace.

She was a keen advocate of modern clothing that allowed freedom of movement during play. The accompanying video was taken in 1933 at the Friton-on-Sea Tennis Tournament – previously part of the post-Wimbledon grass circuit. In it, she talks about her famous shorts, stating that by introducing this new tennis fashion she hopes it will be:

‘Something to improve the standard of play, as I find from previous experience they allow for more freedom of movement and therefore should be universally adopted." 

In addition to shorts, she was also known for wearing dresses which showed more of the back than usual etiquette dictated. Quite unorthodox for the times!

Want to learn more about Wimbledon's history? Why not visit the Museum...