Use it or Lose It Traditional tennis togs are the least sporty sportswear-- which makes them perfect for off-court duty. BY CHRISTINA MELANDER

Spring Fashion Index A Woman for All Seasons: This year and every year, women could stand to take a few style cues from So-fee-ah. Buh-Bye Gwyneth, Hello Lita Ford: You knew they'd be back before too long. WW presents '80s looks now, in all their trashy glory. The Tale of the Taper: Why guys should show a little love for their own legs. Five-Minute Shoe Shakedown: We interrogated four Portlanders with serious shoe-buying habits to find out why they worship at the temple of Imelda. Taking It to the Streets: What do your clothes say about you? Quite a bit--but, as our snapshot of Portland style reveals, the message is often way off the mark. The Summertime Sum: Legs of leather, a python purse and preppy pieces turned on their heads will help you stride through summer without sweating out your wallet. Use it or Lose it: Traditional tennis togs are the least sporty sportswear, which makes them perfect for off-court duty. You Lookin' at Me? The season's best bets for hiding those lyin' eyes.

Tennis is the best-outfitted sport in history. This comes as no surprise, as its origins are traced to France, where the sport evolved from a handball game among bishops and priests (!) to an amusement played with racquets by nobility. Since becoming the favorite pastime of the British aristocracy in the mid-1800s, tennis has been strongly linked with fashion. It was around this time that women broke free of hoop skirts and bustles. Though they still had to suit up in rib-crushing dresses with full skirts and petticoats, they might as well have been sheathed in head-to-toe spandex. Finally, women had gained access to sport. For 100 years, tennis garb, being born of the upper class, was highly impractical. Players ran around dusty courts, perspiring, in Colgate-white clothing. Oh, to be rich and carefree, undistracted by boring rituals such as laundry. But it's the white in tennis whites that is responsible for the uniform's utterly dashing delivery, for setting it apart from more barbaric, less style-conscious sports. So crisp, so preppy, so crucial for showing off a good tan. By the 1950s, the attire had been truncated to classically stylish short sleeves, short skirts and short shorts. And it pretty much stayed that way until recently. Fancy a pleated skirt? These days, you'll find them at the thrift store. Fitted men's shorts? Forget it. Traditional tennis-mongers are hard pressed to find a dress that doesn't resemble a Body Glove swimsuit or shorts that aren't interchangeable with soccer bottoms. We've got no gripe with the sleek, athletic, aggressive style of the Williamses. It's just that unless you're Mariah Carey, a torso-tight mini-sheath doesn't blend too easily into everyday wear--and for tennis togs, off-court is where it's at. Being advocates for mixed-use fashion, we set out to unearth the hidden vestiges of pre-Kournikova whites. There are, of course, second-hand outlets, from Red Light to Red, White and Blue, that serve up the occasional all-star skirt. But general purpose sporting-goods stores, even Nike Town, hardly stock stretchy, modern tennis outfits, let alone a vintage vest. And most tennis pro shops are heavy on strings, light on clothing. We like the tennis page of Portland sportswear e-tailer Lucy.com, but it's ladies only. There is, however, a champion, a golden cup boasting a deep selection of more than 10 tennis clothiers, and it rightfully resides in a posh racquet club. The Mountain Park Racquet Club is nestled discreetly into a Lake Oswego residential neighborhood, but the shop inside pulses wildly with runway-worthy fashions. They've got the flat-front A-line skirts that nouveau elites covet, but also the swingy, pleated numbers that are pure Jennifer Capriati. Quality doesn't come cheap: A skirt will run you about $50-$60, and a sharp, pique tee costs a cool $40 or so. But if you want to integrate sportswear into your life, not your life into sportswear, this is the way to shop. (Mountain Park Racquet Club, 3 Botticelli St., 635-3776. Call for directions.) POM-POM SOCKS You gotta love the traditional white anklets with pom-poms to keep them from slithering down your heel. Besides being so darn cute, these footies abolish the sock-line problem from sun exposure, on or off the court. Too bad the brightly colored bunny-tail balls have seemingly disappeared--though Buffalo Exchange used to carry them (hint, hint). ($5.99 for three pairs at Lady Foot Locker, various locations) ROD LAVER COURT SHOES Australian 1960s tennis pro Rod Laver gave hope to scrawny boys everywhere. Coaches doubted that the teenage Laver, described as being physically little with a sunken chest and bandy legs, would become any kind of contender. He went on to earn the nickname "Rocket" and win two Grand Slams; for a while, Laver enjoyed the tag line "greatest player of all time." He also gave the world a great pair of sneakers. The classic court shoe is enjoying renewed popularity, thanks to Rushmore's Max Fischer, who wore his green with red laces. But really, Rod Laver shoes have been a favorite for decades. There are no air pumps, high-tech soles or other bells and whistles--just straightforward construction. What sets them apart is a breathable mesh upper--so much nicer than leather when running around on a sun-baked court--and a simplicity that makes Lavers more subtle street sneaks than high-heeled Skechers or overwrought Nikes. ($60 at Adidas Retail Inc., 5020 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 249-1676) ADIDAS TENNIS DRESS You don't have to have a killer backhand--or even be wielding a raquet, for that matter--to sport this clean-cut, sleeveless dress. Navy blue trim on the V-neck livens up the white, and three navy spikes down the back add a modern twist. Pull on a pair of pom-pom anklets, navy sneakers and a zip-front, hooded sweatshirt for sport or leisure adventures. ($65 at Adidas Retail Inc., see address above) OLD-SCHOOL RACQUETS AND BAGS The pickin's are slim until summer hits, but when it does, Next Adventure is the place to find ancient wooden racquets--think of the curio possibilities--and old-school gear bags. If you're lucky, you might even unearth an '80s-era, kelly-green-and-white Prince Classic tote bag to match your Rod Lavers. (Various prices at Next Adventure, 426 SE Grand Ave., 233-0706) WRISTBANDS Striped wristbands and headbands soaked up the the sweat from the foreheads of tennis heroes like Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, but something about them just looked cool, too. The red and blue stripes have been replaced with boring logos, but the terry bands still have nostalgic appeal and are practical in sweaty situations. We managed to find these unadorned white ones, at least. A few indie rockers gripping guitars instead of strings have even added the striped variety to their game plan in recent years (where they found them, I don't know). ($.99 for two white bands at Champs, Northeast 9th Avenue and Multnomah Street, 493-9198) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published April 12, 2000