The Athletic Aesthetic: Most Iconic Royal Sports Fashion Trends
Although we’re used to seeing the royals dressed in their celebratory attire, the acumen for sports fashion is running strong in the family. Whether playing golf and rugby or attending Wimbledon, the royal ladies never fail to impress in a sleek pair of trainers and a made-to-order sportswear ensemble.
It’s no secret that the Royal family is an assembly of trendsetters, with Princess Diana, Kate Middleton, and Queen Elizabeth herself having made jaws drop with their outstanding fashion pieces. In the sports realm, the Royals are continuously showcasing astute fashion sense.
The biker shorts
No, it’s not Kim Kardashian who took the mountain bike shorts from the cycling terrain to the everyday runway. The biker shorts trend was popularised long before by the beloved Princess Diana in the ‘90s.
Bright-coloured biker shorts matched with an oversized graphic sweatshirt was a common sight for her. Sporting the leisure princess look, Diana walked and jogged the streets in style and comfort. White trainers and a graphic sweatshirt reading “Harvard”, “USA”, or “Virgin Atlantic” were all an essential part of her athleisure style.
In 1991, biker shorts also entered the runway, with Chanel presenting black cycling shorts cut just above the knee, pairedwith a knotted shirt.
Today, celebrities like Bella Hadid, Hailey Baldwin, and Kendall Jenner are refashioning the biker shorts trend.
The tennis skirt
Just as we are marvelling at the Wimbledon tournament, it’s time to pay ode to the iconic ladies’ outfit – the tennis skirt. The OG tennis skirt appeared on court in 1949 when Gussie Moran wore lace shorts under her tennis mini skirt designed by the British tennis uniforms designer Ted Linglin.
The outfit was revolutionary for sports apparel at the time and was welcomed with enthusiasm by photographers. Later, the fashion item became a staple for tennis. Today, the Williams Sisters never fail to incorporate the classic tennis skirt into their court outfits. But they aren’t the only ones endorsing the uniform.
Kate Middleton gracefully played tennis with British US Open champion Emma Raducanu in September 2021. At the game, she wore a stretch tennis skirt in white and navy blue paired with a jacket of the same colours, both designed by Poivre Blanc.
Similar to Princess Diane, who instigated the biker shorts hype in the ‘90s, Kate Middleton set off the tennis skirt mode and informed the Spring/Summer 2022 fashion trends. We’ve seen esteemed designers like Dior and Bottega Veneta architecture tennis skirt outfits in their warm season collections, so make sure you style yours.
Training in white
White yoga clothing is usually associated with Kundalini Yoga. During the session, it’s advisable to wear white, as the colour reflects what’s on the outside and helps you go inside, thus aiding your practice.
But white yoga attire isn’t limited to Kundalini Yoga, and it’s becoming a sports essential. One of its biggest advocates is Meghan Markle, a fervent yoga enthusiast. It’s fair to say that yoga is in her blood, as her mother, Doria Ragland, is a yoga instructor, and they’ve been doing mommy-and-me yoga since Markle was seven-years-old. Today, she loves doing hot yoga, specifically with Duncan Parviainen.
Yoga isn’t the only thing running in Markle’s blood; she is also a true style icon, which is evident in her fashionable yoga clothing in white. A crop top with an intricate back design matched with leggings with ruffed side rims in a soft and stretchy fabric is a simple yet effective yoga attire that Meghan sports with grace.
Sports fashion is becoming increasingly popular as people take their health and wellness to the next level. A plethora of intricate sports fashion garments fuses old and new design trends. The biggest trendsetters are the Royal ladies, who have been training in style since Princess Diana’s time. To learn a few sports fashion tips, follow the Royals.