Sawt Falasteen - Wimbledon clings onto fashion traditions, with a twist

"This is Wimbledon! You've got to dress up," Jari Hedman, 65, said with a smile.

The Finnish tennis coach had bought an Italian-made white linen suit for the occasion, paired with a navy blue jacket and a flourish of colour with an orange tie.

He had picked the "classy" attire "in honour of the tournament", Hedman told AFP.

The Wimbledon tennis championships, which runs from June 29 to July 12 this year and is the oldest of the Grand Slam tournaments, will celebrate its 150th anniversary next year.

The royals are regular attendees, especially Princess Kate, who is often praised for her elegant fashion choices.

Ahead of the tournament, the BBC published an article on "etiquette" or unwritten rules for attendees, while other newspapers chimed in with fashion tips.

"With its mix of royalty, A-listers and diehard fans, Wimbledon always has a sense of occasion, so why not make an effort?" advised The Times.

And what should one wear to the stands? "White, white, white. And light colours," said Lucie Ta, a 29-year-old engineer from Prague.

She was wearing a long white dress with black polka dots, a white jacket slung over her arm in case the weather cooled.

Anne Freeman, an American from Houston, donned a pearl-coloured floral dress and a sleek Panama hat. "It's a way to be respectful of the tradition," she said.

- 'Insight' into UK's past -

Wimbledon has the strictest dress code in the circuit for players, who are required to wear "suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white" from "the point at which the player enters the court surround".

"White does not include off-white or cream," the dress code dictates.

The rules are rooted in the sport's aristocratic history, with white the colour of choice for hiding sweat stains, which were considered improper.

Players have found ways, both subtle and unconventional, to bring their individual style to court within the dress code.

Japan's Naomi Osaka, known for her flamboyant outfits, arrived on Monday in a kimono-inspired white dress with embroidered motifs of cranes and cherry blossoms, by Japanese designer Hana Yagi.

She paired the outfit with a traditional kanzashi hair ornament featuring white flowers before removing both to reveal a white Nike dress.

Osaka revealed she had the idea for the outfit after watching the Quentin Tarantino film "Kill Bill".

"I think about my cultures, my heritage, which is Japanese and Haitian. Then if I dive deeper into like Japanese culture, I think about the most iconic silhouette, which for me is a kimono," she said.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic wore a white Lacoste jacket with a green trimming, which, according to the brand, was inspired by those worn by "great champions" -- including Rene Lacoste -- in the 1920s.

Going to Wimbledon is "fascinating" as it gives "an insight into what the past of British society looked like," according to Daniel-Yaw Miller, a sports and fashion journalist.

The grass-court tournament "always was seen as a social scene" like the Ascot horse races, explained Elizabeth Wilson, who has penned a book on the history of tennis.

"Therefore people wanted to dress up, to look smart," she added.

In the 1950s, women wore formal hats, while in the 60s, they still wore gloves. "It has got very much more relaxed," said Wilson.

While spectators can dress however they like, Wimbledon still has a "very distinct aesthetic" and very "revered traditions," said Miller.

"I think the athletes and the fans really buy into the fact that it is unique."

Miller, a British man living in New York, enjoys comparing Wimbledon and the US Open: "You go from the most English thing imaginable to the most American thing imaginable in every sense of the word."

The US Open feels like "one big party," with entertainment, where it's sometimes even "hard to focus" on the tennis.

When he attended the Grand Slam across the pond, he wore shorts and a T-shirt. For Wimbledon, however, he opted for a polo shirt and smart trousers.

J.AbuHassan--SF-PST