1890s: The cover up

In the early days of the Championships, modesty was all-important. The men (who played at Wimbledon for seven years before the first ladies' tournament) wore long trousers and the women were covered top-to-toe, with full-length skirts the order of the day. Six-time ladies' champion Blanche Hillyard mastered the art of moving around the court carrying several hundred yards of finest Lancashire linen.

1930: In short

Tradition held good for 40 years before Brame Hillyard, son of Blanche, cast off the shackles and took to the court wearing shorts in 1930. He caused a stir, but did not bring about an instant trouser revolution. It was another three years before Bunny Austin became the first man to bear his knees to royalty on Centre Court.

1949: Gorgeous Gussie

It was not until after the Second World War that the women finally became more daring, and it was Gertrude Moran who set the trend when she wore a short dress with ruffled, lace-trimmed knickers visible below the hem. Labelled 'Gorgeous Gussie' by a duly titilated press, she was accused of bringing 'vulgarity and sin into tennis' by the committee of the All England Club. They disapproved, it seems.

1963: White out

The 1960s. The era of freedom and experimentation. Sensing that the players could catch the spirit of the times and emerge from the locker room in tie-dye shirts or flower-patterned dresses, the All England Club for the first time stated that players must be dressed 'predominantly in white'.

1977: The headband is Bjorn

Reigning champion Bjorn Borg made the white headband the must-have sporting accessory of the 70s. The 'Ice Man' looked majestic, the very image of cool as he won a record five titles in succession. John McEnroe later copied the style, but in red, and looked ridiculous.

1985: Adidas Czech out

Ivan Lendl, the world number one, took fashion from the Centre Court to the streets in the mid-80s with his Adidas range of clothing and equipment. Every teenager in the land owned a t-shirt, tracksuit or pair of trainers with the Lendl branding. Bjorn Borg later followed suit, but at first his range was just pants. He's since added shirts, shorts, caps and bags and now boasts Sweden's leading fashion brand.

1985: The Year of the Cat

Anne White caused uproar when she turned out for her first-round match sporting a full-length, skin-tight catsuit. Her match was postponed for fading light after two sets, giving the authorities the chance to ban her attire for the following day's conclusion. She lost.

1985: Becker's tight fit

An arrogant, swaggering German teenager burst onto the scene with the testosterone flowing despite excruciatingly tight shorts. A sleeveless cricket jumper completed the look of Boris Becker, the youngest and first unseeded Wimbledon men's champion.

1988: Agassi's protest

Flamboyant American Andre Agassi snubbed Wimbledon in protest against the 'predominantly white' rule. Proudly sporting a bleached mullet, designer stubble and alarming colours, Agassi was determined not to tone down his image. Equally, he would be eager not to be seen on Centre Court dressed in the same manner today. Of course, some said it was because he was thrashed by Henri Leconte in his only match on grass in 1987. Either way, he relented in 1991 and won the title a year later.

1995: Tightening the rules

The increasing use of brightly-coloured clothing on the professional circuit led the All England Club to issue a reminder of the rules in 1995, this time altering the wording to insist that players must play 'almost entirely in white'. It's hard to imagine champion Pete Sampras ever considered wearing anything else. Grey, perhaps?

2005: Below the knee

Shorts got shorter for 60 years before following the trend for big and baggy in the 90s. Then Rafael Nadal broke the mould at the 2005 French Open with the three-quarter-length trouser. The Spaniard had to get permission from the All England Club to introduce them to that year's Wimbledon tournament.

2006: New ball boys please

After a century wearing the traditional green and purple, the ball boys and girls were given a makeover by American fashion designer Ralph Lauren in a deal which has another two years to run, with new uniforms in navy blue and cream.