Marta Kostyuk shows off her lace-embellished Wimbledon dress from Wilson in all white, of course. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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A little trim is all the color you see when it comes to a player’s outfit and shoes during Wimbledon. However, most of the time.
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) has actually gone from strength to strength over the years with its famous white dress rule. Wimbledon went “all white” with its dress code in 1963, and while players and brands have tried to circumvent the dress code rules—like a high school student defying the principal—Wimbledon has stuck to the rule. It developed a stronger version in 1995, says Wimbledon site historian Robert McNicol, when Wimbledon’s reigns “changed to ‘almost all white’ to be even stronger.”
The Championship, Wimbledon continued to refine—and solidify—the white rule. In 2014, it included accessories in the list of rules for the first time. The dress code comes with 10 different points, in fact, and “refers to all clothing, including tracksuits and jerseys, worn on the courts of The Championship for both practice and matches.”
Aryna Sabalenka embraces one key hole in Wimbledon’s all-white dress code. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
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The rules include the definition that white “does not include white or cream” and notes that the back of the garment must be “entirely white.” Although “there should be no solid mass or panel of color,” Wimbledon allows a single trim of color along the neckline and cuff of the sleeves, no wider than one centimeter. Logos made of material variations or patterns are not acceptable, although small sponsor logos may be in color. The rules extend to shorts, skirts and tracksuit bottoms, headwear, shoes and underwear.
Over the years, loopholes have been closed, including color on the soles of shoes (nice try Nike and Roger Federer). But one hole opened in 2023. When it was announced in the fall of 2022, Wimbledon 2023 offered the first real change to the Wimbledon dress code since 2014 and for the first time in a while it did not complicate things. The rule change allowed female players the freedom to wear black underpants, as long as they were not longer than the skirt or covered the shorts, in response to concerns about forcing women to wear plain white at all times.
The real change comes in controlling nine out of 10 points Wimbledon dress code. The rule now states that any undergarments visible during play “must be completely white, except for one color trim no wider than one centimeter, except female players are allowed to wear solid, medium/dark colored underpants as long as they are no longer than their shorts or skirt.”
Felix Auger-Aliassime wearing the new Climacool+ jersey from Adidas for Wimbledon 2026. (Photo by Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)
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While not all women’s players have lifted Wimbledon with the promise of adding black, the past four tournaments have offered a different look to the white kits.
While the white rule may limit brands from being colorful, it doesn’t eliminate creativity entirely. In 2026, we saw Adidas debut a new Climacool+ garment with 3D body-mapped fabric. Created specifically for tennis, this fabric uses raised structures to create a virtual gap between the skin and the garment to help air circulate. Other brands have added style to the kits thanks to laces, collars and fabric construction, while New Balance teamed up with Miu Miu for the Coco Gauff kit. Wilson embraced lace, creating a Marta Kostyuk dress reminiscent of a wedding dress Wilson designer and chief creative officer Joelle Michaeloff designed for one of the brand’s most prominent athletes.
Every year, brands look for ways to spice up their Wimbledon creations, but they will always fall under the “almost all white” rules.
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