Long before method dressing had mobilized on the red carpets, sports fans were attending sports tournaments dressed in the image of their sporting idols. So much so, in fact, that there is now a common misconception that Wimbledon spectators must subscribe to the same all-white dress code–established in the prudish 1800s to mask sweat stains–that applies only to those playing on court.
Few people have taken this tradition quite as literally as Jennifer Lawrence who–despite being some 3,471 miles away from the stadium–was yesterday afternoon photographed strolling through Manhattan in head-to-toe Wimbledon whites: a starchy button-down and cotton tennis shorts from The Row with New Balance X Aimé Leon Dore sneakers and ankle-length Ralph Lauren socks. Lawrence was not–but looked as though she could have been–among the rest of the A-listers at this year’s grand slam.
BACKGRID
There is, I think, little difference between wearing colorless fashions at Wimbledon and wearing cowboy hats at a music festival or wearing friendship bracelets at a Taylor Swift concert. These dress codes–however unofficial–harness the collective and provide people with a sense of belonging. How sweet it has been, for example, to see thousands of emotionally illiterate men at the 2024 Euros dressed as the objects of their affection in matching team uniforms. Jennifer Lawrence should join Adele at this Sunday’s final.