Live like Common people

 

Wimbledon - not so Common

One of Looking Our Best’s favourite summer delights is now being served.  Wimbledon, with its lobbing of balls, thwacking of racquets, grand slams and temper tantrums, has all the fun and drama of a toddler’s birthday party but with added screaming and grunting.

It's a wrap -linen with pulled thread embroidery

LOB (even this blogger’s acronym is a tennis shot) has loved this game from way back in the 1970s’ when the sitting room curtains would be pulled to shield the sunlight from the telly screen as players with wonderful names such as Yvonne Goolagong and Billie Jean King slogged it out in SW19. 

Those were the days pre-trainer craze when we wore humble canvas plimsolls. Whitening these was something of a ritual, squeezing the last drop of chalky liquid out of the bottle with the sponge on top before leaving them out to dry on the window sill. 

What's not to love? Ivory dress with lemon slip

Tennis has an interesting fashion trajectory with regard to obligatory women’s attire, from the full dresses with bustles of the late 19^th century, to Venus Williams risqué ooh-la-la nude knickers of 2010.

While that screeching has become one of more unfortunate modern developments (Maria Sharapova’s grunts have been measured at 101 decibels – equivalent to a chainsaw or a motorcycle), many other traditions endure.

The day shift - in pure linen

White remains the dress rule at Wimbledon, and in terms of style, tennis whites are surely the most stylish sporty gear (with cricket a close second). 

Set and Match -  ivory trousers and silk top

There are variations on this theme every summer for us mere spectators partial to some snow- white linen and cotton, and this year is no exception. Our top seeds featured here are all from Hobbs (and with many of these items now reduced in their sale).  

Even if the closest you will get to centre court this summer is slumped on the sofa in front of a match, do it in style like your fave Ladies. Rope in a ball boy to keep you well supplied with strawberries and cream. Maybe some towels. And don’t forget the Robinson’s Barley Water.

Classic linen blazer with pulled thread embroidery