Your Guide To Styling A Chic Tennis Skirt

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If there is one type of fashion that the United States knows best, it's sporty fashion. Because of the many professional sports in the country, there's no stopping the expansion of sporty fashion. One of the major players in this style is the tennis skirt, being made even more popular with the tenniscore aesthetic. In recent years, tennis skirts themselves have grown in popularity and become a new staple year-round. Apart from being a popular mainstream item, the tennis skirt has become a favorite of high fashion designers such as Bottega Veneta, Dior, and Tory Burch. During the Bottega Veneta Spring 2022 show, we saw the fashion house take tennis skirts to a new level and showcase the piece throughout their collection in many ways.

Advertisement

With these high-profile designers showing tennis skirts in their collections, it's hard to ignore the power of a good tennis skirt. Thankfully, the end of summer doesn't mean the end of this piece. This fall, we can expect to see plenty of tennis skirts, whether you play the sport or not. Instead of packing your skirt for the fall, be sure you have everything you need to bring the tennis skirt into the fall season.

Layered preppy look

One of the most popular ways to style a tennis skirt is to fully embrace its preppiness with a layered look from head to toe. Because fall fashion allows for more layering, the tennis skirt is the perfect piece if you want to go for a preppy look.

Advertisement

The key to dressing up the preppy part is to layer as much as possible. Giulia from Palm Trees & Pellegrino is an example of how to style this outfit effortlessly in a chic, preppy way. Start with a white collared button-down, layer a comfy sweater on top, and add your tennis skirt. Let your collar show over the top of your sweater for that country club polo look.

For those days when the weather is all over the place, you can use this same outfit formula to fend off the heat. An example of how easy it is to switch up this outfit is @jessicaluxe, who tied her sweater around her shoulders for that coastal grandmother chic. This switch-up is the perfect fall transitional outfit as it lets you stay cool if you need to or warm if it gets chilly. If a sweater is too bulky or warm for you, you can also replace this with a sleeveless sweater vest. A sweater vest also gives you this preppy country-club look without the extra heat.

Advertisement

Go for simple with a graphic t-shirt

If preppy isn't your style, you can dress the tennis skirt down and simply use a graphic t-shirt to make your outfit more casual. If your personal fashion is more dressed down and relaxed, a graphic tee is a perfect way to bring the tennis skirt trend to your wardrobe.

Advertisement

Back in 2020, Zoë Kravitz helped start this casual tennis skirt trend when she was spotted sporting a graphic t-shirt with her green miniskirt, ankle socks, and mary jane flats. This casual look is the perfect errands outfit if you want to go beyond a graphic t-shirt and denim jeans situation. Pairing a graphic t-shirt with your tennis skirt is also a great way to incorporate your favorite '90s trend of a grungy graphic band t-shirt. Since the '90s and 2000s dominate most fashion trends, it's a great way to hit multiple trends at once.

You can also use a graphic t-shirt as a chance to zero in on a sporty look. Take it from Tory Burch, who styled their Tennis Graphic T-Shirt, from the Tory Sport collection, with their Tech Piqué Side-Slit Tennis Skirt to show a chic but casual way of pairing two classic pieces. Using a subtle graphic t-shirt can help keep the formalness of tennis in your outfit but still makes it perfect for running errands. Regardless of the graphic t-shirt, this combination gives the look of just getting out of your tennis practice that we all love.

Advertisement

Monochrome outfit

There's no denying that one of the easiest ways to make your look seem more expensive is by wearing a single color. Whether it's a neutral or a pop of color, a monochrome look is the ultimate fashion hack. Add to this hack the elegance of a tennis skirt, and you are well on your way to the ultimate luxury look. 

Advertisement

The concept of a monochrome tennis skirt outfit stems from the term 'Wimbledon Whites.' According to Britannica, these were rules established in the 1880s and stated that the tennis players participating in the tournament had to wear only white. This rule was established when the organization decided that sweat stains were not up to the standard of such an event. Since then, the concept of 'Wimbledon Whites' has transcended from the court to outside of it. 

As shown during the Miu Miu Fall 2022 Ready-To-Wear, a monochrome tennis skirt outfit doesn't need to be stiff and boring. For fall 2022, Miu Miu showed a luxe sporty collection, including all-white tennis looks. These looks had a mixture of evening blouses and cropped polo tops. Regardless of the top, they all had the same white monochrome look. This combination is a simple way to take simple white pieces and make a luxurious outfit. 

Advertisement

Try an oversized sweater

There's no fall fashion without a good oversized sweater. So no matter your style, an oversized sweater will always have a place in your wardrobe. Thankfully, this also applies when styling your tennis skirt. 

Advertisement

Danielle Bernstein from WeWoreWhat shows off how to style the two. The fashion content creator and entrepreneur completed this look with chunky sneakers. Bernstein's look is a classic example of how an oversized sweater is all you need to take the tennis skirt well into the fall season. Instead of worrying about the right top to wear, an oversized sweater is easy to throw on and will look good whether you decide to go for monochrome or not. 

Unlike Bernstein's all-white fit, Francesca Perks, from @francescaperks, opted for a strong contrast of a bright yellow oversized sweater and white tennis skirt. Whether you go for a bright or muted sweater, the oversized sweater is probably one of the most versatile fall fashion pieces. The baggy sweater seldom will clash in any outfit.  Take this into consideration and go for a comfy and chic look.

Advertisement

Go for 2000s fashion

While it may not be everyone's favorite fashion era, the 2000s are currently dominating the fashion industry. No matter where you look, it's hard to avoid the many pieces influenced by this time. Styling your tennis skirt is no exception.

Advertisement

One of the 2000s favorites that go well with a tennis skirt is the cropped cardigan. A favorite among fans of the 2000s, the cropped cardigan is the perfect way to mix both trends. Fashion content creator @delaneychilds shows us how you can style a white cropped cardigan with a matching white tennis skirt and create the perfect outfit for the current fashion trends. Although not as warm as an oversized sweater, the cropped cardigan gives you all the fall vibes in one look, even if the temperatures aren't there yet.

Another 2000s inspiration comes from singer and style icon Dua Lipa. Dua Lipa showcased on Instagram how a cropped cami, another 2000s favorite, and a tennis skirt can be the perfect match. In this case, Dua Lipa styled a pink cami with a matching pink tennis skirt, the perfect early 2000s fit.

Advertisement

Recommended

Advertisement