THE JOURNAL
Cut a dash on Centre Court in the chicest summer pieces – here's the hat, jacket and shoes you need for Wimbledon this year.
Ah, Wimbledon. The verdant lawns, the competitively priced strawberries, the colourful oaths from this year’s designated superbrat (yes, we’re looking at you, Mr Nick Kyrgios), the oohs and aahs as yet another plucky Brit crashes out heroically, the drives, the drop-shots, the lobs… and the togs. As the only tournament that maintains an on-court dress code (“almost entirely white”, thus sparing us the zebra-stripes and fluoro-lurid shades seen at the French Open), Wimbledon encourages – nay, practically demands – reciprocal sartorial efforts from its spectators. If you’ve got a ticket for Centre or No. 1 Court this year, we suggest you follow form by opting for an outfit that’s as classic and elegant as, well, Mr Stan Wawrinka’s single-handed backhand.
THE BLAZER
Which former Wimbledon attendee would you rather emulate – Mr Ricky Gervais, in his lumpy black T-shirt, or Mr David Beckham, in his peerlessly fitted blazer? It’s a rhetorical question of course, but opt for a lightweight, minimally structured, partially lined, softly textured navy offering like Boglioli’s, and it’s game, set and match for comfort as well as polish. Add a nonchalantly tucked pocket square, like this two-tone silk piece from Kingsman, for added advantage.
THE SHIRT
The All-England Club isn’t the place to experiment with more outré styles, so leave the pineapple-print camp-collar shirts at home and raise a toast to tradition – we’ll have a copious jug of Pimm’s, thanks for asking – with a sharp, crisp, striped-cotton number; this Dunhill version will serve handsomely. It’s surely also the occasion to pull on a tie; this one from Drake’s, in birdseye-woven claret, should unleash a volley of compliments.
THE SHOES
While it may be apt to sport a pair of Stan Smiths – older readers may recall that Mr Smith won the Wimbledon title in 1972, before lending his name to the retro sneakers – we’d suggest you stick with down-the-line Royal Box-ready refinement; something that John Lobb’s suede penny loafers will surely confer. Keep the elements and mishit returns at bay with a time-honoured straw Panama hat, such as Borsalino’s, and it won’t just be Messrs Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer that’ll be finishing things off with a smash.