Tennis player of note, turned fashion designer Teddy Tinling was responsible for some of Wimbledon’s most memorable fashion from the 1940’s through to the 1960’s. Perhaps most controversial were American tennis star, Gertrude Moran’s lace trimmed knickers worn at Wimbledon in 1949. For Gertrude, Tinling designed a short white dress with a pair of lace- trimmed panties. A media storm ensued with photographers clambering for shots of Gertrude’s bottom. Tinling’s place in tennis fashion history was set and the naughty knickers afforded Gertrude the nickname “Gorgeous Gussy”.
In 1950, Tinling commissioned the British Eyewear designer Oliver Goldsmith to create a pair of sunglasses to accompany one of his on court outfits. The resultant tennis racket sunglasses were an overnight success and today form part of one of the only sunglass collections in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. We can have an exact replica of these babies made through Claire Goldsmith the great granddaughter of the founder of Oliver Goldsmith. Now, anyone for a game of tennis in this weather?