It was 1931 in London when a Spanish tennis player by the name of Lili Alvarez decided to rebel against the strict Wimbledon dress code. Initially, in a low-key tournament in north London, Alvarez, with the help of Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli, debuted her culottes with a draped skirt around it that was above her calf.
Before all this, Schiaparelli had been shopping the previous week in a pair of culottes without the draped skirt and caused fashion mayhem. To fashion lovers, this was bold and daring, challenging social stereotypes at a time when wearing clothes only deemed fit for a man was not acceptable for women. It also came at a time when The Well of Loneliness was banned due to the fact it promoted lesbian behaviour.
The Daily Mail published pictures of Schiaparelli in her new design and in the calm, rational style the newspaper is still known for, a correspondent reporting on the new garment told its readers that any woman wearing any form of trouser “should be soundly beaten”.
But Alvarez wasn’t to be deterred. When she first came out at Wimbledon, the conversation revolved around how she’d come back from two final defeats in previous years. The Spaniard emerged with a long white cape, and there were murmurs about what she was going to wear underneath. Throwing off the white coat, Alvarez showed the world what we now know is a skort. Naturally, tennis was outraged. After all, this was as much an affront as when Suzanne Lenglen had arrived at the south London courts 12 years earlier in a sleeveless top and skirt without a petticoat.
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Initially, spectators, viewers and officials weren’t sure about the gear. The trouser legs were so loose it almost resembled a skirt until Alvarez leapt into the air for a trademark smash. Then, it became evident that this was a pair of pants disguised as a skirt.
We all admired Serena Williams’s catsuit that was designed to help her prevent blood clots, but truthfully, once the ball was thrown up, nobody actually cared
Thankfully for Alvarez, she had dramatic competition in the fashionista battle at Wimbledon that year. Joan Lycett turned up to Wimbledon, having discarded her stockings and for ankle socks while the rest of her legs remained bare. The 1930s had indeed shattered Wimbledon.
Now, many decades later, what was initially seen as a revolutionary piece of kit in the 1930s has started to irk women athletes. No sport is more vociferous in their annoyance than camogie. The London GAA club Thomas McCurtains has launched a petition to lobby the Camogie Association into letting camogie players wear shorts like their football counterparts.
And Thomas McCurtains have some numbers behind them. The club did its own survey among members and found that 82 per cent favoured a move to shorts, with 75 per cent saying that the skort does not reflect current society. This survey has added weight to anecdotal evidence of annoyance with skorts.
Skorts were initially designed for women to assert their femininity and athletic prowess. Now, they’re quite literally a pain in the arse
Over the years, a number of players have voiced their frustrations at being forced to play in the garment. In 2018, Dublin camogie player Eve O’Brien said the players were “crying out for change”. At a minimum, teams who don’t wear skorts might get a slap on the wrist. At worst, teams may be thrown out of competition over a lack of compliance with camogie’s dress code.
Sporting bodies regulating dress codes aren’t new. Tennis faces criticism on a nearly annual basis with their obsession with clothing and how it reflects on the sport. Sure, we all admired Serena Williams’s catsuit that was designed to help her prevent blood clots, but truthfully, once the ball was thrown up, nobody actually cared except for those who have to stand over tennis’s code of conduct.
And so, funnily enough, an item of clothing that was deemed radical more than 80 years ago is now seen as traditional and behind the times. A quick Google search shows that skorts are, ironically, making a fashion comeback. Sportswear online retailer Lululemon sells skorts for more than €60, highlighting that skorts can take you “from the court to the streets” in no time.
[ Companies still on the back foot when it comes to tailor-made women’s gearOpens in new window ]
Skorts were initially designed for women to assert their femininity and athletic prowess. Now, they’re quite literally a pain in the arse for women in sports. While sporting regulations relax their codes about women’s clothing, and with the rise of women being able to choose the colour of their shorts within sports, skorts are, ironically enough, becoming a symbol of the times they were used to rebel against.
Women athletes don’t want to be dainty, feminine or traditional. They want to show their power, athleticism and sheer strength. Skorts don’t allow for that in women’s sports any more. In truth, the skort has served its time and deserves to be hung up for good.
