On Thursday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge put on their game faces to play with members of the Lawn Tennis Association’s youth program. Naturally, the Duchess dressed for the occasion, wearing a cream-colored retro tennis jumper from Polo Ralph Lauren — which she recycled from a 2019 soccer match at Windsor Park in Belfast, Ireland — with black capris and her go-to Superga sneakers. And while the couple’s official Instagram account was quick to mark Prince William’s team the winner, with an outfit like Middleton’s, we beg to differ.
Though Middleton rarely falls for one-off fashion trends, instead opting to stay true to her own classic style, apparently, tenniscore is one even she can’t refuse. The trend, which first appeared last summer in the form of tennis skorts and courtside photoshoots, has once again begun garnering attention in the fashion world. As recently as this month, Brooks Brothers partnered with Fila for a tennis-inspired collection, while tennis star Coco Gauff fronted the campaign for the forthcoming Casablanca x New Balance collaboration.
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According to global fashion shopping platform Lyst, retro tennis attire is currently trending, with page views for tennis skirts tripling in the last month. Meanwhile, searches for vintage “tennis club” logo sweatshirts are up 14%, compared to this time last year. Now that Middleton’s hopped aboard the trend, we can only imagine what those numbers will look like as the summer progresses.
Given that Middleton was named the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 2016, when she took over for the Queen after a 64-year stint in the position, we’re not exactly surprised that she’d feel a kinship toward this particular trend. That's to say, we’re not complaining: The more tennis fashion inspo, the better — especially with Wimbledon just a month away.
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