McCall Style News simply describes this dress as "Ladies' and Misses' Dress; with scarves", but as it is illustrated by a picture of a young woman racing over a court to return a serve it was clearly most likely intended to be worn as a tennis dress. Women had been playing (lawn) tennis since the game was invented in the 1870s, but it was only in the 1920s that they could move freely on the court, unencumbered by long skirts and corsets.
Fortunately for us, there were plenty of fashion experts in 1928, giving us advice on correct (tennis) court wear. First we have Vogue who notes the newest innovation of sleeveless dresses:
The tennis dress is frequently sleeveless, a point of interest in so far as the fashion for sleeveless dresses has never, until this season, seemed quite chic or correct. It may be that, with the growing practice of spending the summer in resorts famous for their winter sunshine, the smart woman has adopted a fashion that suggests greater comfort and ease. In other words, like the sports mode in general, the sleeveless dress is the outcome of the sportswoman's necessities.
The Age (Brisbane) lays down the following rules:
For tennis frocks, white or cool pastel shades should be chosen in fabrics that look and feel like silk. Japshan and Fleur-de-chine are two materials which will be popular this year.
The Age (Brisbane), 25 August 1928
These days, silk is not considered a suitable material for sports wear!
The Mail in Adelaide also recommends silk for tennis dresses, and gives some advice on how they should be constructed. It also recommends some acessoraries, for both on and off the court:
The lawn tennis player who wishes to establish a reputation for smart dressing will find plenty of interesting clothes with which to equip herself this season.
Her dress will probably be a severely practical affair of thick washing silk, such as pure silk Japshan. The pleats of the skirt will be of the large box variety; and each of the four edges of the pleats—that is, where the folding of the material comes—will be machine stitched to ensure lasting crispness and to facilitate laundering.
Inverted pleats are shown on some of the skirts at the side, but others have the pleats in the centre front and back. The latter would seem to be the better arrangement, and, placed thus, they serve the good purpose of making the skirt shadowproof and afford greater freedom.
Most movements in tennis are quickly forward or backward, and a skirt of this description, hinders movement only in a minor degree.
In addition to the frock the tennis enthusiast will require one or two of the sleeveless slip-on cardigan jackets. These may be either of linen or wool.
Many tennis players have taken to the tennis ankle socks. These are of wool and have turnovers in various colors to go with the waistcoat or cardigan that is worn. They are put on over flesh-colored stockings, and not only protect the stocking, but prevent the feet rubbing during a strenuous game.
They are often sold together with the woollen cardigans or waistcoats when these are worn of a plain or outstanding color in preference to the many fancy ones, which are to be seen everywhere.
The Mail (Adelaide S.A.), 18 August 1928
It's interesting to note that women were still playing in stockings—even with the addition of socks! Women in the 1930s would take things a step further and ditch the stockings, wearing only the socks.
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