Three reasons why tennis skirts are taking over the TL this summer

Scroll through the timeline of your preferred social media platform and it’s highly likely that, before too long, you’ll stumble across a lewk that orbits around a tennis skirt. 

From sporty, logo-emblazoned a-line numbers to classic pleated butt-skimmers, the style has taken off in a big way across the course of the summer – racking up 175,000 hashtags on Instagram, a casual 6.5 million views on TikTok, and selling out on sportswear retail sites around the world (only to appear on Depop soon after, jacked up prices a given). As one Twitter user sagely put it: “Girls don’t want a boyfriend. Girls want the Nike tennis skirt”, and right now, it seems, ne’er a truer word was spoken. 

So where did the trend emerge from, and why has it taken over, like, right now? Read on as we analyse a few key ideas – none of which involve a sudden upsurge in people picking up a tennis racket FYI. Let’s go.

BRANDY MELVILLE HAS A LOT TO ANSWER FOR  

If you thought Louis Vuitton, Prada, Off-White, and Dior were among the most covetable brands right now, dive into the realms of Depop and you’ll find a very different story. As one of the most searched, lusted-after labels on the platform, over the course of the last year Brandy – the one-(small)-size-fits-all US retailer known for giving its teen girl staff a superiority complex – has claimed her spot as queen bee among young fashion fans, with close-to luxury prices to match. When it comes to her aesthetic, we’re pretty sure you’re fully familiar with what the label has to offer: think basic tank tops, strappy sundresses, bootcut jeans, and – surprise! – the very kick-y little pleated skirts we’re seeing everywhere right now. 

IT’S THE TUMBLR 2.0 EFFECT 

Unless you’re a fully fledged member of the generation that is Z, it’s highly likely you’re feeling a touch of déjà vu when it comes to this newfound obsession with tennis skirts – which is no surprise, given we’ve seen it all before. Cast your mind back to the late 00s and you’ll probably recall the heavily #aesthetic American Apparel-procured cropped tank tops, white cotton kilts, and Lolita-esque knee highs that formed the sartorial cornerstones on everyone’s fave social networking site, Tumblr. Along with e-girl, dark academia, and cottagecore style, essentially, what we’re seeing right now is a Tumblr revival, as those not old enough to have done it the first time around dig into the archives of their wizened, crone-like fashion forebearers, who – according to one TikToker – “should be qualifying for their senior discount” by now (and I mean triggered, but also, like, enormous mood).

BLAME IT ON EUPHORIA    

...or more specifically, Hunter Schafer’s character Jules, who was seen wearing (you guessed it!) a whole bunch of pleated tennis skirts in candy-coloured baby pinks and plaids throughout season one – but then, considering the show owes a whole lot to Tumblr when it comes to its uber-Y2K stylistic tendencies, that’s not really all that surprising, is it? With Euphoria’s body harnesses, cute co-ords, and flawless, gem-studded make-up looks already infiltrating the TL, it was only a matter of time until its classic kilts made it onto the most-coveted list.